


This Charming Man

by cruelest_month



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad people getting good things, Bandits & Outlaws, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Guns Guns Guns, M/M, Manipulation, Possessive Behavior, Rags to Riches, Romance, Slow Burn, Stockholm Syndrome, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 20:30:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4406468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruelest_month/pseuds/cruelest_month
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As he continues a hostile takeover of Pandora, Handsome Jack amuses himself in the usual way. With smaller side projects and field experiments. One of these plans leads an unsuspecting young man right into his clutches. Now, Daniel has to find a place in Handsome Jack's world before Jack decides he's more trouble than he's worth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over all, I think the best way I can describe this particular notion is "My Fair Lady with more violence, guns, and sex." So you can thank TCRegan for the better summary than the one I had in mind.

*

They’d meant to set him on fire. Make him into a sacrifice like they’d done so many times before to so many others. They would have… But it wasn’t comforting to think of what his clan might have done. 

And with it over, he felt bereft of something powerful. As he walked he was struck by the loss. Mournful for the momentary madness, he also felt ill-at-ease from the lack of guilt. And there wasn’t a single bit of regret. No, nothing like that.

Even as the blood dried on his face and the burnt skin on his arm stung, he felt a different kind of twinge. Because it had felt so good. And enjoying it… Enjoying it was dangerous, wasn’t it?

He’d seen it happen, watched his brothers snap time and time again. Some lived, most died angry and screaming. He’d just wondered what it would be like as he kept quiet, kept busy and kept useful. By being calm, he could get work done that the others couldn’t. And if he got work done, he was valuable. He had to be careful though not to think too much. Thinking had a way of making a mess of things.

Slowly, he took inventory of his meager possessions. His father’s knife, his mother’s green shield, his stolen, busted ECHO communicator… He’d dropped the weapons. The submachine gun. The pistol. The sniper rifle. He hadn’t been very good at any of them, but he’d liked the rifle best. The satisfying pop when he’d shakily lined up the first shot that started it all.

_Come down. Come and be free. Be cleansed._

“Fuck you,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. _Fuck all of you. I’m free now._

The guns had been a lucky find. A bright yellow box with green lights standing upright near the wreckage of some ship. It had been humming faintly, waiting for him. And then there had been guns sliding out, glittering blue like water. Using his ECHO, he had pulled up descriptions. Hyperion corporation. Damage types. Statistics that he couldn’t understand, and gun names that he could.

An omen, as the Incinerator might have suggested. A sign. It might have meant everything. Or maybe it meant nothing at all. Not everything had to mean something, but the next day he’d been selected. And today he’d gone through a trial even if it wasn’t the one the others had had in mind. 

He’d need new guns then. He’d need money. He’d need a ride. He’d need a lot of things he’d seen and heard about but never had.

The sand kicked up as he trudged along. He had no idea where to go, but the thought of being able to go anywhere --to see anything new-- was comforting. 

He heard the revving of engines and carefully stuck to the edges of the canyon. He’d done this before. His clothes were the same sandy brown color and with the hood up and a scarf over his mouth, he wouldn’t draw attention. 

Eventually he came upon a familiar sight – a Catch-a-Ride station. And next to it were lockers, chests, and a line of vending machines. The New-U Machine next to it unfolded as he passed it, scanning him even as he put a hand up to ward it off.

The set of chests and row of lockers gave him some money, some health, some sniper rifle ammo and a really sad-looking pistol that glittered white when he inspected it. He had enough cash to buy a handful of bullets, but that was it.

The machines talked loudly as he went through their selections. He’d heard the lines a thousand times, but he liked hearing it. 

As if it felt completely left out, the New-U Machine chirped and said: “We at Hyperion value your existence! Please accept this complimentary Reconstruction.”

“Thank you,” he said to the lady or to the machine. Or to both. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard a woman’s voice. He wasn’t sure anyone had ever said they valued his existence. He understood, of course, that he hadn’t been reconstructed. He could also tell the tone held a bit of sarcasm and plenty of chipper indifference. But he appreciated it anyway.

He tried using the portable outhouse only to contend with ammo boxes being thrown nearly at his head. 

Crouching down, he sorted through the loot. It was all junk, of course. But any grenade mod was better than none, and all of it was worth something. So he gingerly carried the shields over to the machines and sold them before washing his hands. 

In front of a small, grimy mirror, he pulled back his hood. Blood was matted in his blond hair and splattered over his brown skin. The burn on his arm looked angry, but it didn’t feel terrible.

He wiped at the dried specks with a hand, uncertain about using any aspect of the questionable facilities on his wounds. 

He heard a car’s engine before he saw it. It didn’t look like the sort of vehicles he usually spotted. It had windows, for one thing. And they were tinted a dark yellow. 

Lacking tires of any kind, it seemed to hover over the ground. This one was sleek black with gold trim. It was long and stretched out strangely. 

Modified turbolimo, according to his ECHO. 

It sank slightly, lurching towards the sand as it powered down. 

He swallowed hard, debating the bathroom once again. But the thought of hiding in it for any reason… No, he’d take his chances. He doubted he could pull off intimidating. With the blood splattered over his face, he might come across as unhinged.

The man who got out was… Well, he looked expensive. Imposing. Maybe it was the mask, but that seemed to suit his face. Maybe the clamps were ports or some new upgrade? In any case, the new arrival wore sunglasses, the tint of the lenses matching that of his cars. He smirked, showing incisors as he lowered the shades. “Hey, buddy.”

It was hard to tell what to make of the man. He had a strange sort of timepiece. A pistol he wasn’t even trying to reach for. A much better shield. For the sake of avoiding a duel, Daniel decided to try being open-minded. “Uh. Hey.” 

“So. I’m Jack.”

“I’m Daniel.”

“Yeah, you are,” the man cheerfully replied. “Caught all of that killer performance you did back home. Bit rough there, huh? First time?”

“Um. Not exactly. I mean… What are we talking about?”

“I knew you’d be shy about it,” he muttered. “Fine. Was that your first time butchering a bunch of bandits?”

“My brothers,” Daniel said thoughtfully. He still wasn’t sure he felt sorry for them or not. “You saw that?” he asked, a little concerned. “Did… a lot of people see?”

“Just me. That’s good enough,” Jack assured him. “Been keeping an eye on every corner of this shit-heap. Gotta say it’s been pretty boring but then pow. Some bandit’s taking out his leader to avoid being burnt at the stake. And then he keeps going. I liked the part where you ran out of bullets and had to improvise. Knives make it more personal.”

Did they? There was a part of Daniel that wanted to learn more, hear more. And there was a part of him that was hoping the whole killing a bunch of people was a one-off, an act of desperation and not the start of a new career. “I, um… As much as I’d like to talk shop with you… I should probably go.”

Jack set one hand on a hip, looking very amused. “Uh huh. Where are you off to, tough guy?”

“Oh. You know…”

“Some pressing business engagement? Or is your little bandit conscience getting the better of you? I hear cliffs are good for a suicide. But considering how long you spent talking to our mutual friend,” Jack said, indicating the New-U Machine, “you’ll just end up right back here. A bit cleaner than when you started but still. Right back here. With me.”

“Not interested in doing that to myself.,” Daniel said quietly. “Besides… I’m out of money.”

“It’s a free service. I mean, normally I’d leave your kind to rot in the sun but you’re not much of a bandit. Which is surprising, really. There’s not much salvageable on this fucking planet. I mean, sure your aim’s for shit, but there’s potential.”

Daniel frowned. “Potential?”

“Yeah. For you. For your brain cells. Must have more than one or you’d have set yourself on fire.” Jack laughed, crossing his arms. “Gotta ask. Why is that a thing?”

“The Firehawk,” Daniel muttered.

“The what-now?”

“The Firehawk Lilith? We are to honor and worship her. To seek to please her as best we can.”

Jack said nothing, but his expression darkened considerably.

“It’s stupid.” 

“You don’t say.” Up to this point, Jack had seemed… well, creepy. But only slightly and almost in a friendly sort of way. Now he seemed a bit formidable and lethal. Angry even.

“I don’t worship her," Daniel insisted. "I mean... Not exactly. Just…it’s… a thing. It makes everyone else... happy. The Incinerator says that cullings are good for the clan. That’s what we’re told but I don’t know. I don’t really get it. Because of the brain cells? Which you might be doubting that I have but I do. Have them. Brain cells, I mean.”

Jack rolled his eyes. He reached forward, swiping a finger across Daniel’s cheek. Most of the blood stayed put up but his finger came away red. “Is this a souvenir? Bandit-y war paint?”

“It’s just until I find somewhere to get cleaned up.”

“Concerned about sanitization? Explains the torches and pitchforks. You must really have sucked as a bandit.”

Daniel huffed. “Pretty sure anyone can be good at being angry, insane, and poor if they put their mind to it.”

“Not a bad point,” Jack said. “So about earlier-- And I’m talking about the killing spree portion of your day now. What did you think of the guns?”

“Hyperion,” Daniel said, instantly regretting his quiet, reverent tone. It made him seem like just the sort of person to worship a legendary Siren who liked setting people on fire.

Jack’s expression softened a bit more. “Yeah and?”

“Well, you weren’t wrong. My aim was terrible but… when I corrected it… That was pretty cool. The headshot… I liked that. And the machine gun was a good too. You could stab people with it. And they melted a bit from the bullets.”

“Corrosive damage. I’m a fan.”

“Are there a lot of other kinds?”

“Of damage? Obviously. What about the pistol?”

“I think… It jammed?”

“When you tried to beat someone to death with it or before?” Jack asked with a smirk.

“Before. That’s why I switched to the knife.”

“Pistol’s a piece of fucking shit. Too heavy. R&D keeps mucking with the signature features. Worries too much about competitors.”

“R&D?”

“Research and Development,” Jack said, setting a large hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “You know what that is?”

“No, but then you don’t need me to tell you what you already know.”

Jack grinned. “Ah now, don’t be like that. You’ve been doing such a good job of behaving yourself. And I’ll explain, honey. I’m the President and CE-- You know what? Never mind. Let’s put this in terms you’re familiar with. Who was the most important person in your crap-ass bandit camp?”

Daniel wanted to shrink back, but he kept still, focusing on the blue tattoo on the man’s wrist before meeting his gaze. One blue eye, one green. “The Incinerator. He purifies with fire.”

“I’m like that but way more important. You like Hyperion?”

Daniel nodded.

“That’s me. I run that. I own that. I’ve made most of it. Guns, robots, other tech… All kinds of shit.”

“Really?” Daniel asked, unable to keep from looking impressed. 

“Really, really,” Jack said. “And you’re like one of maybe eight people total who has never heard of me. I’m Handsome Jack, head of the Hyperion Corporation. Multi-trillionaire. All-around class-act. Basically the most important person you’re going to meet on this godforsaken rock. Which... sadly means nothing at all considering my competition. So let’s go with me being the most important person ever. You’re not going to meet anyone better. So obviously I’m a big deal on better planets too. You know there’s other planets, right? Like please tell me you do.”

“Sort of? I mean, I’ve heard of them...”

“Geez, kid. Before the Firehawk, did you just worship the rock you lived under? If you’re in need of a better focal point, I’m available. And you can do it however you want. On your knees, on your back… I’m flexible.” 

Daniel couldn’t help smiling. He wasn’t entirely sure why and he wasn’t sure it had been the proper response, but at least Jack smiled back. “Then you left those guns for me?” he asked, shying away from the thumb that started stroking his cheek.

Jack’s smirk widened. “Of course I did. You seemed like a good test subject, but… Well, you weren’t, babe. More like an outlier mucking up the results.”

“I’m sorry.”

“At least you were interesting.”

Daniel resisted the impulse to worry at his lip. The hand on his shoulder was clamped down tight, and Jack’s other hand had settled against his neck, right above a pulse point. He wanted to be interesting… And it was… Well, he sort of liked having so much attention focused on him, but Daniel wasn’t sure it was a good thing to be. It sounded like being interesting to Jack was something he’d be expected to do from here on out. Assuming they spent more than a few minutes in each other’s company.

“Thank you but… I don’t have a lot of competition either. Not at the moment. You’d probably get bored if we weren’t at this particular location. I mean… It’s me or some skags or a rock.”

“Uh huh. Next time just thank me,” Jack suggested, steering Daniel towards his ride. “Learn to take a compliment, pumpkin. It’s good for you. You mentioned going somewhere. Let me give you a lift.” 

“I appreciate that? I really do, but I wasn’t going anywhere.”

“Besides dumpster diving? I mean, you looked through everything else.” 

“Maybe I've decided to stay here. Get some sun. Take in the sights.”

“There’s me. There’s you. There’s the sights. They’re awesome and you’ve seen ‘em.”

“Yes, but--”

“Wait, you’re right,” Jack cheerfully continued. “There’s one other thing. Yeah, it’s perfect. There’s a cactus and two large rocks that decided to get together and look like a dick. It’s about two miles that way. We’ll drive to it. We’ll laugh. I’ll take your picture in front of it. Sound good?”

Daniel offered up a startled laugh. “Um. It sounds alright, I guess. But I don’t really know you.”

“Does that really matter? Even if you had some kind of alternative mode of transportation, why would you take it? Think about. You got nothing going on and I’ve got everything. I’m awesome, I’m well-dressed, I’m funny, I’m rich, I’m clean… Which reminds me. Hands. Hold them out for me, sweetheart.”

Daniel hesitated.

Jack moved back slightly and snapped his fingers. “Hands. Let’s go.”

“But I don’t have any money. I mean, not much.”

Jack laughed. “Oh my god. You think I’m… That this is… That’s precious. Seriously. Very cute. Somehow I think I’ll manage without your pocket change and lint. And I didn’t say _up_. I said _out_. Gotta learn to listen. Hands out, palms up, kid.”

“All right.” Daniel flinched a little when Jack sprayed them with a small blue bottle. 

“Sanitizer,” Jack said, spraying Daniel’s clothes. He pocketed the bottle, offering up a wink before walking around Daniel. “Rub it in. Won’t hurt you. Let’s see what we got. Ugh, so much room for improvement here. Nice ass being completely obscured by… The fuck is this? Burlap? Let’s just get this out of the way.”

Daniel considered protesting but he didn’t mind losing the ratty coat.

“Great ass, actually. What else? Shitty gun. Crappy shield--”

Daniel backed away when Jack tried to snatch it off his hip.

Jack tapped his fingers against Daniel’s side. “Honey… If I wanted to shoot you, I’d have done it by now.”

“I need this.” 

“No, you really don’t. It’s trash. Literally trash. And it’s… Dahl. That offends me. Personally. Do you want to offend me?”

“No. Not at all. I know it could be better. It’s just…“ Daniel wasn’t sure how to explain. He doubted someone who could afford better equipment would understand desperation. He had no fond memories of his mother or his father. They’d died either by losing their minds or blowing themselves up. Or maybe they’d been unfortunate travelers who ventured into the wrong bandit camp at the wrong time. Daniel had no idea. He’d kept the items out of necessity. He’d trade up if and when he could, but he couldn’t right now. “My mother left it. For me.”

“Yeah? How’d that go for her?”

“She died. It’s usually what happens when you don’t take a shield with you,” Daniel pointed out. “Hence my reason for keeping it.”

“Hence?” Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, strangely verbose bandit… Look.” He grabbed the shield, chucking it over Daniel’s shoulder. “It’s gone. And-- Ah, ah,” Jack grabbed Daniel’s wrist, hauling him closer. “No,” he said with an admonishing look. “No, you’re going to leave it. And the hope will be that a skag’s going to show up and shit on it after we leave. Then some douchebag can dig it out and try to sell it later. I’ll get you something better, okay?”

“It’s worth something.”

“Man. You are so bumming me out right now.” Jack pulled out a gold clip from the pocket of his jeans with one hand. He hauled Daniel closer with the other, keeping it around his waist. “Here. Fifty bucks. That is at least triple what the vending machine would give you.”

Daniel blinked, staring down at the money as it was pressed into his hand. “I…” He clutched the bill instinctively, and as much as he wanted to be grateful, he was suspicious instead . “Why?” he asked.

Jack shrugged, letting Daniel go. “Because I can. I probably should have explained the whole multi-trillionaire thing. Let’s make it simple. I’m rich. Filthy fucking rich. I can buy and sell planets on a whim. Hell, I routinely burn money for fun.” 

Daniel frowned as Jack laughed. “No you don’t.”

“Yeah I do. It’s great. Liberating, really. Wanna try it? I got a lighter.”

Daniel shoved the money into the pocket of his ripped jeans. “No.”

Jack chuckled, lightly pushing Daniel further away from him. “You will someday. Knife’s all right. We’ll get you better. We’ll deal with the burn later too. The clothes… Well, you won’t need those.”

“I definitely will,” Daniel said, crossing his arms and striving to sound stern. 

Jack grinned. “Uh huh. You’ll be begging me to take ‘em off you soon enough but… Of course you’ll need clothes, you doofus. Just not those. The decrepit hermit look doesn’t do anything for you. Even less for me. Can’t be seen with homeless people. Got an image to maintain.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Jack’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered Daniel. “Look at you. You’re still shaking a bit. Relax. And, you know, I gotta say... Most people do a lot more for cash money then just sulk.”

“Thank you,” Daniel managed, feeling slightly ashamed. But he wasn’t sure if it was for taking the money, needing the money, or abandoning the shield completely for a crisp green bill. “I’m sorry.”

“I get that,” Jack said, idly scratching at the clasp on his chin. “You ever want to turn something into something else? For its own good?”

“Like turning a rock into a diamond?”

“No because I can do that,” Jack said with a casual shrug.

“Right now?”

“Yeah sure I’ll get out my magic hat out of the car.”

“All right.”

There was a pause and then Jack laughed in a way that made it clear that Daniel was being remarkably stupid about something. He wasn’t sure what, but the sound made him flinch and look away. 

Jack laughed a bit more, and when he was done, he said: “Hey, no. None of that. Look at me.”

Daniel looked up.

“Dick move on my part,” Jack said, sounding more amused than apologetic. “Sorry. It was too easy. Real talk, pumpkin. You’ve done all right so far. You killed a lot of people. You’re done with being a bandit. Good on you. Seriously. But what are you going to do now?” 

“I’m working on it.”

“With what resources?” Jack asked, pressing a finger to Daniel’s chin and tilting his head further up. “Baby, you will die out here. That’s not a threat. It’s not even a promise. It’s just a fact. You have maybe a clue, no ride, and just enough money to interest some low-lives in looting your corpse after fuck knows what else they’d do to it. Just let that sink in for a moment.”

Daniel shook his head. “I don’t… want to think about that.”

“Okay then don’t think about it. Because I could help you. I can save you from all of that and more and easily.” 

“Because I could become something?”

“There go those brain cells earning their keep,” Jack muttered. There was an edge to his tone, a hint of impatience, but nothing more. “Saving you is also the right thing to do, but yeah. You could be something. Wanna give it a try?” 

Daniel glanced at the car then back at Jack. “I don’t get it though. Do you rescue random people often?”

“Depends on what I think of them. Not sure exactly what I think of you, but I’m curious. See, this place,” Jack said, gesturing around them. “This is my pet project. I’m trying to save this miserable backwater planet.”

“For who?”

“I’m thinking a better class of people. The kind that don’t kill first and ask questions never. The kind that haven’t tried to actively to roast each other on spits. The kind that don’t lose their minds and or blow themselves up over nothing. People like you.”

“That’ll be hard work,” Daniel said solemnly. “You’d have to kill a lot of people. A lot of bandits.”

“Seems like it.”

Daniel considered this for a moment. Then he smiled uncertainly. “Maybe you’re an Incinerator after all.”

“I prefer Hero, but hey if that’s what it takes,” Jack agreed, more enthusiastic now. He seemed eager to explain himself. “I will burn this planet to the ground if that’s the only way to fix it. And trust me, I’ll fix it. I don’t like broken things.”

“I think… I might be broken.”

“Yeah?”

Daniel glanced down at his hands and then rubbed at the blood on his forehead. “Yeah I… What I did… I don’t feel bad about it. And I should. Right?”

Jack snorted. “Hell no. What’s there to feel bad about? You killed bad people. Did them and everyone else a favor. That’s what needed to happen. That’s what I want to do. On a larger scale, obviously.” He slung an arm over Daniel’s shoulders as he continued. “See, it’s like this. Pandora will never sort itself out. It’s basically the most fucked-up garden ever. And how does a garden grow?”

Daniel waited for Jack to continue, but it seemed he was waiting for some kind of answer. “Um. I guess… With a lot of love and tender care.”

Jack laughed. “Seriously? Water and sunlight didn’t even make the list there, pal?” 

“But I thought… You’re using a garden as a metaphor, right?”

Jack was quiet for a moment, eyeing Daniel sharply as he took his arm away.

Daniel frowned, torn between relief and wishing the arm would come back. “Is something wrong?”

“What’s it like being you?” Jack asked. “You couldn’t have talked about this shit with the others. They’d have set you on fire ages ago. But you were born here. Raised here. And you’ve been surrounded by idiots for years and only got fed up what? This morning? How have you managed to survive down here for any length of time?”

“Not everyone on Pandora is a complete idiot,” Daniel politely pointed out. “But I guess... A lot of people are?”

“Which brings up back to what I was actually saying. This planet is like a garden. Which is a simile. I’m using similes now. All right with you, professor?”

Daniel couldn’t help it. He smiled. 

“And with a real garden, you gotta do a lot of hard work. Gotta sort out the weeds or they’ll strangle all of the plants. That’s you, Daniel. Ought to be a weed but you opted to be a plant. A smothered, sun-starved, hungry, lonely little flowering plant.” 

Daniel ducked his head when Jack patted his cheek. It was a bit… Well, it made him feel a bit stupid, but then Jack’s arm was back around his shoulders. That was sort of nice. “I think that’s fairly accurate.”

“Of course it is. And, I mean, it’s pretty obvious you snapped because you’d had enough. At some point, you reach a limit.”

Daniel sighed. “What happens after that? Now, I mean.”

“Pretty much anything. It’s up to you,” Jack said in a low murmur. “But you can get better. Do better. Be better. Just like Pandora. It just needs to be provided with the chance -- with the opportunity. It needs services that only Hyperion can provide.”

That word did strange things to him. Stupid things, most likely. But it meant a lot. It meant guns and safety. It also meant Jack. Daniel wasn’t sure how he felt about the man outside of wary and intrigued, but he knew how he felt about Hyperion. “Which is you.”

Jack smiled encouragingly. “Which is me.”

“Do I get to help then?”

“If you want. Honestly, this here? This is a free ride. One-time only offer. With no strings attached unless you want some. But it expires soon because I can’t keep repeating myself. It irritates me.”

“You don’t have to,” Daniel insisted. “I want to help. And I want to…” He took a deep, shaky breath as Jack stroked his ear with a few fingers. “I know I don’t seem grateful. But I am. I’m very grateful. So thank you.”

“I believe you.”

Daniel nodded, moving away and heading closer to the car. “I want to go with you.”

“Good,” Jack said, and Daniel didn’t even have to look at him to know he was smirking. He moved over to the car, opening up the side door when Daniel finally glanced at him. “Figured you might. Get in.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, TCRegan and BakaKnight for being so supportive about every aspect of this. It means a lot. <3
> 
> Writer's block hit me really hard last month. Around the same time as my obsession with Handsome Jack rekindled itself. I normally ignore my weirdly indulgent fic ideas, but I decided to try something new and just run with it. To just give in and write a fic 100% for me and relevant to my interests. And this fic is what happened. 
> 
> The idea behind Daniel's clan is pretty much your typical bandit mess with some aspects of the War Boys from Mad Max mixed in. I took the idea of the Children of the Firehawk and assumed that other sects of this cult would exist. Because I would be very surprised if Lilith only had the one group of crazy people worshiping her.
> 
> Why an OMC and why not Rhys? I didn't think Rhys was the right choice mostly because I feel like his working at Hyperion and his ambition are a big part of who he is. I went back and forth but I felt like in the end I was going to throw Rhys into this simply for the additional hits. And I didn't want to change him to suit the story. 
> 
> I'll stop babbling here. But I'm around on tumblr (cruelestmonth.tumblr.com) and twitter (cruelestmonth6).


	2. Chapter 2

*

Daniel got in without hesitation primarily because he wasn’t willing to test what little luck he had. It was cool inside and dark. The seats were some kind of leather. Not skag, it was smoother and less textured. He sat down close to the far door, uncertain of what to do with his hands.

It was a little surprising when Jack joined him. “Clean your face up,” he said, handing Daniel a cloth after the car door shut. 

“Blood’s a good look for you and all but still. There we go. Good. Throw it away. You worried?”

“Hm?”

“You’re all but humping the exit. Middle’s nicer. Move there.”

Daniel reluctantly moved to the middle seat. 

“Is this your first time in a car? It is, isn’t it? That is so fucking sad. It’s like you just hatched yesterday.” 

“I’m not sad. And I’m not a spiderant.”

“You’re a bit sad,” Jack pointed out. “Try smiling more. You want to get strapped in, little rantling? Probably should strap you in.”

Daniel frowned. He’d been willing to overlook the other weird pet names, but this one sort of annoyed him. “If you’re going to call me that, I’m going to do it.”

“Oh but I insist,” Jack said, tugging Daniel a bit closer before reaching around him. He tightened the strap, wrapping it around Daniel’s chest and waist. He attached it to a small metal panel that changed from red to green when it clicked. “You want something to drink? Eat? Both?”

“If it’s not too much trouble?”

“Let’s assume my time’s too valuable for bullshit and drop the politeness,” Jack suggested. “Yes or no is ideal. And I encourage smiling. And by encourage I mean demand. And by demand I mean you’re not getting anything until you make an effort to appease me. So let’s go. Appease me.”

Daniel rolled his eyes, managing a slight turn of his lips. He laughed when Jack raised an eyebrow and smiled a bit more sincerely. “There. Is that enough?” 

“It’s a start.”

“Yes then. To both.”

Jack pressed a button and a panel slide out, chilling the air. He tugged out a bottle with a giant black H on its yellow label. He tossed it to Daniel. “Water’ll work and… Whoa. And uh maybe try swallowing at some point. Or, you know, don’t.”

Daniel blushed, lowering the bottle and slowly swallowing. It was so cold and he’d never realized water had different tastes. The water back home had seemed okay. Now he knew it had been stale and overly warm. The water Jack given him tasted clean and refreshing. “It’s… really good.”

“I’m going to guess it’s a step up from the usual fare. Where do you get your water anyway? And how? Sexual favors? That could be a fun roadside attraction. Blow jobs for bottles.”

“It’s not happening.”

“You shitty bandit you,” Jack teased, looking amused. “And you’re not a great hitchhiker either. Must be good for something though. I have a few notions.”

Daniel wasn’t sure what to say to that. He decided to just answer the original question. “We used rain barrels and tight rations. We had a spring for awhile, but it dried up.”

“Have some more water,” Jack said, pulling out another bottle. “And there’s more where that came from so take it easy, huh? Can’t have you ODing on the stuff. Would be slightly funny, but mostly fucking embarrassing.”

“Sorry.”

Jack nudged Daniel’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize for hypotheticals. So water’s a hit with you. Should give you something to eat. No clue about what to feed you though. People should come with instructions.” 

“You don’t have--” Daniel stopped when Jack glared at him. “I, uh. Maybe crackers or something?”

“No, no. God, no. You need to start thinking big. Never seen anyone so thrilled about the bare minimum.” 

Jack leaned back in the seat, not bothering to strap himself in. He pressed some buttons on a small screen and terminal directly in front of them, without really looking at what he was doing. Then he balled up his hand into a fist and hit the panel once. The engine revved and the car started moving. 

“Shouldn’t… Do cars drive themselves?”

“Some do. This one can. Does a shitty job but you know. I’d feel bad leaving you back here all by yourself.” Jack yawned, reaching into another small compartment. “Here. This won’t kill you. Probably.”

Daniel took a colorfully-wrapped foil rectangle from Jack. There was a strangely charming thresher wearing a cowboy hat and waving several tentacles. Underneath the monster was some sort of brand name and then a short description. “Chocolate?”

Jack grinned, putting his hands behind his head. “Yeah, chocolate. You go ahead and inhale that.”

Daniel turned the bar over. “I actually eat it though, right?”

Jack laughed. “Yeah. You actually eat it. Take the wrapper off, kid.”

“Oh. Right.” Daniel slowly peeled away the foil and then stopped. “Why make the water bottles Hyperion and not the candy bar?”

“Hm?”

Daniel held up the water bottle and the candy bar. “With the car and the gear… It’s like there was a theme and then there’s suddenly this thresher.”

Jack frowned. “Yeah. That is disappointing. And it’s an interesting question to pose to my soon-to-be-former PA. Remind me of that later. But for now… Here. Give me the candy.” 

Daniel reluctantly held it out.

Jack snatched it, grinning. “The look on your face is hilarious, not gonna lie. And I was gonna give it back to you, but… now I’m a little torn.”

“Torn?”

“I could always chuck it out the window.”

Daniel hesitated, debating how to respond. Jack didn’t seem exactly serious, but he didn’t seem to be joking either. It was a bit strange. Not exactly bad, but not exactly familiar. 

Jack’s fingers toyed with a little gold button on the terminal, lowering the window slowly up and then slowly down. “Opinions?”

What was he hoping for? Daniel sort of wished he knew. He leaned over as best he could with the strap in the way, careful not to seem too nervous as he set his hand over Jack’s. He pressed his finger down on the button, raising the window all of the way. 

“I wish you wouldn’t. I didn’t mean you had to do that.” Daniel brushed his fingers over the back of Jack’s hand, unsure of what he was doing. And because he wasn’t sure, he withdraw quickly, toying with the label on his water bottle instead. “I just... I sort of like how everything says Hyperion on it.”

“Yeah, I like that too. All right.” Jack tugged out a marker and drew an H over the thresher. Then a little sun next to it with pointed rays and a goofy expression on its face. “Problem solved. Here’s your candy bar back.”

Daniel smiled down at the ridiculous image, blinking a bit when Jack’s thumb grazed his lips.

“Oh sure, do that for a hunk of chocolate and a winking sun and what do I get exactly?”

“This is for you too. I mean, at least if you think about it. You let me keep the bar. And you put the sun there.”

Jack smiled. “I am pretty great.”

Daniel laughed. He was careful to keep the picture in tact as he finally pulled out the chocolate bar. 

“So since it’s your first time with this, here’s some advice. Break it up. Into pieces. Then eat it. Slowly might be good.”

Daniel broke up the first set of squares. Just looking at them, smelling them… It made him really hungry but he felt a little awkward staring down at the bar. It made him feel strange. Not exactly guilty, but oddly sad. If he’d found this just randomly... If he’d brought it home, he’d have been lucky to get one piece of it. 

“Here,” he said, offering up the first piece to Jack. “We can share.”

Jack took the piece from him. “I should eat this,” he said sternly, glancing at the chocolate and then Daniel. “I should eat the whole thing just to teach you a valuable lesson about how stupid sharing is.”

Daniel laughed. 

Jack smiled. “I’m serious. And as of this moment you are literally the worst, most lame-ass bandit in existence. Might as well turn in your badge and gun and everything.”

“My bandit badge?”

“You don’t even know about the badges. Hopeless,” Jack murmured. He held the piece of chocolate out, jerking it away from Daniel’s fingers and pressing it to his lips. “Here. Eat this. You need this. It’s brain food.”

“Um.”

“Just take a bite, kitten. My hands are a hell of a lot cleaner than yours.”

Daniel colored slightly before biting into the chocolate. He gently pried the rest of it out of Jack’s fingers, eating it quickly. 

“Good stuff, huh?”

“Mm.”

And then he had another piece. Or two. Or three. And then the bar was gone. And that was disappointing. He smoothed down the wrapper, and picked the water bottle back up.

“Are you saving that?”

“Hm?”

“I’d like longer answers.”

Daniel drank some of the water before replying. “Sorry. What?”

“The wrapper. You’re not going to save that for like building a tent or something?”

Daniel frowned. “I’d rather not. Are you kicking me out of the car?”

Jack laughed. “I’d have done that before giving you the candy bar. Or maybe right after. Right after would have been perfect, but mean. A little mean.”

Daniel huffed. “Yeah, just slightly.”

“Just a bit,” Jack agreed with a smirk. “Now, I know you’re going to be disappointed but we’re skipping the dick cactus. I figured we’d just go straight to Lynchwood.”

“Is that a planet?”

“Baby, if we were going off-world, I’d tell you. Your first little adventure in Fast Travel ought to get some fanfare. So no. Lynchwood’s just this mining town I own. No idea what it was called before then. This Shithead’s Mine? The Big Dump? Anyway it’s one of many towns I own.”

“How do you end up owning a town?”

Jack grinned. “Oh, the usual. You go there and over a loudspeaker you shout: ‘Hey, morons, this is my town now. Shape up or fuck off.’ Basically. I’m skipping a few steps here, but you get the general idea.”

“These were bandit towns? Camps?”

Jack shrugged. “Essentially. I mean, it’s hard for me to tell any of your people apart. But all people need guidance and direction. Sometimes you can work with what you got. Lynchwood’s a prime example of that. But the best town I’ve managed to get up and running is Opportunity. It’s based on my preferred method of restoration.”

“Which is?”

“To salt the earth and start over. Like what you did. Only you were in the middle of a section of desert wasteland that I can’t really do much with. Yet.”

“Huh.”

“Huh?” Jack mimicked. “What?”

“It’s just… Salting the earth is a strange way of putting it. It’s a strange visual.”

“Yeah, really makes you wonder what other spices would do.” 

Daniel laughed. “I guess so.”

Jack smacked one of the buttons on the control panel and the car slowed to a halt. Then came to a stop. “Gonna have to Fast Travel. I should probably drive. It’ll be more fun.”

*

“The car won’t break, right?” Daniel asked after Jack had run over the third or fourth skag. On purpose, he thought, but then it seemed likely you couldn’t drive on Pandora and not hit a few of them. Or hitting all of them as Jack seemed to be attempting to do.

“Not from this.”

Jack was grinning, his right hand moving quickly to shift gears as he moved his feet between two pedals. The car did a powerslide, knocking over a spiderant colony. The animals came skittering out and died fairly quickly. 

“And we won’t--”

“Let me put it to you this way, pumpkin. I can guarantee you we’re going to die a lot sooner if you keep nagging me to death,” Jack said. “I know you’ve lived in a hollowed-out log with all your kinfolk for years on end but can you just enjoy this for like… fifteen more minutes? You’re already a bad bandit and a terrible hitchhiker. Don’t be a douchey copilot.”

“I’m sorry,” Daniel offered. “I do like going fast. And I like watching you. But I’d enjoy it more if you were strapped down.”

Jack laughed. “Yeah, you would.”

“To the seat.”

“Keep talking. I like where this is going.”

Daniel shook his head.

Jack glanced over, turning the wheel hard and heading towards a bridge. “No? That’s all I get? Ah well. A plus for effort, kid. At least you’re attempting to flirt.”

“I’m… flirting?”

“You’re trying to. It’s sort of precious. Except for the part where you’re terrible at it.”

“If I was better… What would you get out of it?”

“It’s more like what could _you_ get,” Jack corrected. “You could get so much out of me, baby, if you knew what to do. We’ll get there.”

Daniel wasn’t sure where “there” actually was, but he didn’t think he minded Jack’s certainty. He just wished had some of his own. Even just the ability to imagine things working out right would have been great, but he wasn’t sure what that looked like. 

“Those wheels in your head sure are rusty. I can hear the gears grinding from here. What are you thinking about?”

“I don’t think I know anything. About anything.”

“Hm.” Jack slammed a foot down hard on a pedal.

Daniel stared at the floor of the car as it lurched to a halt. He felt oddly worried. He didn’t want to get left by the side of the road, but he couldn’t change how he felt at that moment. There had been such a great sense of relief earlier and he’d been able to forget. But now… Now he didn’t feel satisfied at all. And he had no idea what happened next. 

Jack sighed. He tapped his fingers against the wheel for a moment. “The dick cactus would have helped. My bad. Okay. First off, here’s a little secret. Most people don’t know anything about anything. Like at all. They know less than nothing. And those stupid fucks just get to go on living until they get in some clever person’s way. So clearly it’s not very hard to skate by. Anyone can do it. If that’s not enough for you, good. That’s good, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jack reached out and stroked Daniel’s cheek. “Second, you’re having a weird day, you know?”

Daniel laughed miserably, pulling his knees up onto the seat. “Yeah.”

“I mean it. Sure, you didn’t get cleansed with fire but you did get baptized in blood. It was probably the best moment in your life so far. So this is you coming down from a really, really great high. Killing people’s a rush. Getting in the zone where you’re almost one with a gun or a knife or a whatever… That’s great feeling. Gives you clarity. Purpose. And now it’s slipping away. But it’ll come back, babe. You can make it stay longer if you get better at fighting.”

“Will that help?”

“Can’t hurt. Look, the things you don’t know?” Jack shook his head, brushing fingers through Daniel’s hair. “The list is probably infinite. So don’t try to estimate the total, pumpkin. Just get good at a few things, fake it with the rest… You’ll be fine.”

Daniel took a long, ragged breath.“What things?” 

Jack considered this, his expression seemed thoughtful but ultimately hard to read.“You’re asking me?”

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment. “I mean, I think… Someone has to tell me what they are. Only I don’t… I don’t want it to be someone. I want it to be you. But you stopped the car. And I don’t want have to have to stay here.”

“Stay here? What are you talking about? I stopped the car to talk to you because you’re being a buzzkill.”

Daniel winced.

“Sit up straight,” Jack demanded, voice a bit stern. “Now look at me. There you go. I’m not tossing you out of the car. I’m not rejecting you. If I was, you’d know. And it would have happened miles back. There’d have been a lot of pain. Possibly road rash. All I actually want you to do? Is shake the gloom off here. Gotta tell you… It’s really not great.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, that’s pretty clear. I think you missed the part of the conversation where I was talking about turning you into something better. Your own fault, really. Too busy wishing rocks were diamonds. I want to spruce up this planet. I have a lot of things I need to do, but you seem to think you’re just this random friend I needed to make. I have plenty of friends, Daniel. I got one of virtually everything. There’s a story about this kind of thing. Wouldn’t make much sense to you, but basically what I want? I want to see what happens when a person goes from being nothing to be something. All it requires is money, the means, and a person. I want it to be a challenge. It’s not fun unless it’s challenge so it’s got to be a Pandoran.”

“But why me?”

“Because you handle things right. Because you would have given me your stupid-ass candy bar even though you were all but drooling all over it. Because the one thing you know? The only thing you’ve got even remotely figured out is that you want me to look after you. I like that. Makes me glad I found you,” Jack murmured. “Don’t get me wrong, kitten. You need a lot of work. Mopey as hell. Rough around the edges. But you’ll clean up nice.”

“So what do I do?”

Jack smirked. “Look at you being all eager to be of use. That’s what I like about you. Always getting involved. Questioning yourself. Not questioning me. It’s perfect. Do that more often.”

Daniel considered this, unfolding his legs and managing a small smile.

“What you’ll do is work off the list I’m going to make you. It can be like a report card. A progress report. Whatever you want to call it. I give you a few tasks. Your job is to get good at them. Once you feel like you got something worth showing off, you’ll show me what you learned. And I’ll be proud of you.”

“You will?”

“Yeah, totally. You do what I say? What I want? Get great at killing? Be a good boy? Smile shyly? Get all weird when I say Hyperion? And I will give you everything,” Jack replied, tone dark and soothing as he leaned over. He shifted slightly, letting his hands rest against Daniel’s seat. His arms fenced Daniel in as if the straps weren’t enough to keep Daniel in place. “Whatever you want, baby,” he added, whispering into Daniel’s ear. “Just name it. Make me proud and it’s yours.”

Daniel swallowed hard, leaning in a bit. “I… I want that,” he said hesitantly. 

He didn’t know what to do or what to touch. He placed a few fingers tentatively over one of Jack’s hand. This close up, he could see the dark hair on his arms and calluses on his fingers. The watch he wore. Daniel could smell him, and it was… Jack smelled… Daniel had no real reference for it. Dark. Like leather and blood and gunsmoke.

“That’s good,” Jack said encouragingly. He looked amused. “That’s generally how this works, you know. People wanting the same thing. Getting it. Enjoying it. Improving it when the routine gets stale. Adding in new kinks. The usual.”

“Is that enough though?” Daniel asked. “For you?” 

In some ways, Daniel felt it was a little soon but he liked the idea of being looked after. Of not being hurt or hunted or fending for himself. He liked the idea of getting everything he wanted although at the moment he didn’t really want much. Maybe more water. Or chocolate. Or more touching. A kiss? He wondered how the mask would feel, but it looked basically like skin and seemed right for Jack’s face. Again he wondered if it was just ports along the edges. Either way, he wasn’t sure how much he cared. Not when Jack was staring at him like that. 

“Make that one question. And let’s hear you say my name.”

Daniel eyed Jack shyly. “Is that enough for you, Jack?”

Jack smirked, his expression turning sly as he cupped Daniel’s cheek. “If you’re good, and you will be. You don’t have to know what you’re doing, sweetheart. I do.”

*


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Lynchwood. Sort of.

*

Lynchwood seemed to have been named right, judging by all of the corpses kept around the entrance. They hung down around the town sign, ropes tight around skeletal necks with torn clothes and skin. One of them kept hitting the side of the canyon wall as the wind blew by.

Jack slowed down and smirked. “Still think New New Haven had a nice ring to it. Once we get you a better ECHO communicator, you need to read up on the original place.”

“The old New Haven?”

Jack laughed. “That would have been a fun name too. Super annoying for people and needlessly confusing. Yet another compelling reason to build a time machine.”

“You could still change it.”

Jack laughed again. “You’d think that, but the Sheriff is stubborn. And she’s really into hanging now. Used to be a shotgun to the face. Kind of miss that. So you just keep on behaving yourself only be more mouthy and less nice. She hates nice more than I do.”

The car stopped near a train depot. Jack helped Daniel out more to get hands on him than anything else, but Daniel allowed it. He would have liked more excuses for it, truth be told. Only he didn’t have any, and trying to come up with some wasn’t easy. Maybe if he had more time to think, but Jack moved on quickly, gesturing Daniel out of the seat.

“Hold up,” Jack said once the car door closed. “Hold up and look up.”

Daniel did as he was instructed.

“See the giant H blotting out the moon? That’s Helios. My space station.”

“I always thought that was part of the moon.”

“You always just thought some transdimensional being whose name began with an H just decided to carve the letter into the face of the moon? I’m surprised you didn’t just worship that guy.”

“I’m sure there’s a massive cult following somewhere for Lunar Henry.”

Jack blinked and then he grinned. “Did you just make a joke? You totally did.” He put an arm around Daniel’s shoulder and patted his cheek in a way that made Daniel bristle. “Aw, that’s great. Isn’t this great? Your first joke. I’m saving that on my ECHO. We’ll make a virtual scrapbook. First spree killing is definitely going in there.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “I’ve told jokes before.”

“Did anyone explode with laughter? And by laughter I mean grenades.”

Daniel blinked. “Did my jokes make anyone kill themselves?”

“Those are the best kind.”

Daniel shook his head. “So...Did you watch me from there?” he asked pointing to what looked like a lot of blue windows in the center of the space station.

Jack snorted. “What, with my special telescope I use for stalking blondes? ...Huh. Why don’t I have one of those? Anyway, no. No I did not watch you from that spot there. I’ve got satellites and ECHO-feeds. I watch what goes on down here from vid screens in my office. Or from home. In a comfy chair. Sometimes with popcorn. And I only noticed you recently. We’re talking days if that. Which is lucky for you. I might have moved on to something else. I don’t have a great attention span. Now. What were we talking about?”

Daniel smiled. “You. So I’m sure you remember just fine.”

“Ouch,” Jack said, looking amused. “Well, go on then, pumpkin. I’m sure you’re just dying to ask more stupid-ass questions.”

“Do you live up there all alone? Is that why you’re interested in me? Or did you build bots to keep you company?”

“What is it about me that screams storybook character to you?” Jack asked. “No, I do not live there alone. No, I did not come down here just to whisk you off somewhere. That was a whim. And no, I don’t make robot friends. I make robot armies. It’s much better. Robot friends is like an oxymoron. Definitely would involve some kind of moron. Two kinds, really.”

Daniel nodded, a bit distracted as he stared up at the station. He’d never paid it much attention. No one ever talked about it much. “What’s it like there?”

"Helios is basically a company and or city in space. Pretty packed, pretty competitive. I’ve got so many people working there it’s… got to be against a few regulations. But that’s Hyperion headquarters, baby. You’ll see it up close and personal at some point.”

“But you don’t live there.”

“Might as well all things considered, but no. I don’t. I have a turbomansion. The location’s classified. I’ll get you set up there, I guess. I’ll have to add your biometric signature. And get you a map. You are going to get so lost.”

“Because of the map?”

Jack grinned, letting Daniel go. “Don’t put ideas in my head, buttercup. Even great ones. Let’s go see if we can find the welcoming committee.”

Daniel frowned slightly, trailing slightly after Jack as they headed past the train yard. 

There was some sort of fight going on between a really tall man and a very short, muscular man near a set of vending machines. They were fighting over a hypo, which made sense as both of their health was low and they’d managed to power down the Dr. Zed station. 

There was a sizzling electric current on the ground, and the air smelled like acid. Corrosive damage then. Daniel recognized that part of it.

The short man moved back, growling out something and glancing at them. He fired a round from the pistol in his hand, mostly as a warning not to interfere. It really wouldn’t have meant much. Just a bullet pinging off a shield. 

Only Daniel didn’t have a shield. He yelped, a little surprised when the bullet connected with flesh. He hadn’t even thought about that.

“Fuck,” the man said, looking at Jack. “Fuck.”

“Sounds about right,” Jack grimly replied. He pulled out a black shotgun with a red stripe along the barrel. 

The first thing Jack hit was the hypo. The glass shattered in the face of the taller man. The man’s face began to turn red as he clutched at one eye.

Jack fired again, getting the shorter man in the gut and watching him stumble backwards. Jack’s shield absorbed bullets from the repeater pistol. 

The shorter man hit the ground and Jack shot him again, blowing his face apart. The taller man seemed a bit shocked to move quick enough, his fingers fumbling for a weapon as he backed away. Jack smacked the man upside the head with the shotgun and then reloaded, finishing him off too.

There was an odd silence broken only by the ringing in Daniel’s ears. He’d ducked a bit instinctively when the fight had started, and he’d considered his pistol. But in the time he’d spent considering the threats around them, Jack had left him with very little to deal with.

“Fuck,” Jack muttered, indifferent to the blood splattered across his mask. “I am off my fucking game today. Shit. Usually takes less bullets and usually--” He stomped on the pulpy remains of the shorter man’s face as he grimaced. “Usually I take better care of my things because usually this doesn’t happen.”

Daniel winced, the fight had been... fascinating if brutal. Quick and satisfying because he’d been the cause of it. But Daniel he wasn’t sure how much interest he had in watching bits of a person get pummeled into a gravel path. 

“Usually I can enter a piece of shit town and get recognized. And usually the people I bring don’t get shot at. The whole point,” Jack added, stomping again and again after each word, “of this is for it to be different.”

Daniel wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t badly hurt, he didn’t think. His HUD indicated he’d lost a small insignificant sliver of health. And since Jack was still busy grounding the bandits into paste, he looked away, peeling back his t- shirt away from his left shoulder and examining the wound. 

“It’s okay,” he said quietly. Then a bit louder, he repeated himself: “Jack, it’s okay. It just grazed my shoulder. It surprised me more than anything. Here, look.”

When Jack didn’t join him, he moved over and showed him the long gash the bullet had made in his skin. Really, the only downside was it had happened to the shoulder of the arm that was burned.

“I hate being wrong,” Jack said. He still seemed on edge, slightly twitchy. But when he touched the wound on Daniel's shoulder, he did so lightly and briefly. He brushed one finger over the burn, lips quirking up when Daniel shivered minutely. “Sucks, babe. Should have let you keep your shield. Does any of this hurt?”

“Only a little.”

“It’s not bleeding much. That’s something.” Jack went over to the vending machine. He pulled out a side panel, hitting buttons before sliding the panel back in. The machine lit up, Dr. Zed’s voice offering some sort of deal or another. 

Sighing, Jack pulled out some cash and bought a hypo. “Let’s just get you healed up.” He lightly pushed the needle into the patch of skin on Daniel’s arm separating burn from bullet wound. Jack watched the skin knit and mend. He brushed a thumb over the fading burn before looking up. “How’s that?”

“Better.”

Jack nodded. “Good.” He set about reloading the shotgun, slinging it over his shoulder before moving forward.

Daniel followed. “I’m not… Um. I’m not mad that it happened or anything. It’s not a big deal.”

“Just a scratch,” Jack agreed, but he didn’t look any less angry. 

“Did I do the wrong thing?” Daniel asked after they’d been walking for a few minutes. He had gotten used to silence because it was better than the alternatives, but he found he didn’t like this sort at all. And he wasn’t used to trying to fill lulls in a conversation. 

“No.”

“Can you… Can we go back to talking then?”

“Yeah when I’m done looking for-- There it is.” Jack moved swiftly over to a gold chest. It had wooden panels on the sides and gold skulls. The lock was small and the lights around it were red. 

Jack crouched down, pulling out a small key and jamming it into the lock. “Come on, come on, come on,” he said impatiently, smiling when the lights turned green. 

“Here we go.” He stood back up, crossing his arms as the chest slowly opened and the contents were spread out on mechanized panels. 

Everything glittered orange. Legendary. Daniel’s ECHO was going crazy trying to pull up the names for the items that showed up.

Jack frowned over the contents as if somehow none of them measured up to his standards. “Well, you’re not ready for an Amplify Shield. So Anshin will do.” He pulled out a shield that was shaped sort of like a badge. He attached it to Daniel’s hip. He stepped back, smacking Daniel’s side lightly and smirking. “All set.”

It was a pretty color, light purple with two whites stripes and one blue. The center shone a purple as well and… Daniel was fairly certain his ECHO had short-circuited when it informed him the shield was…No. There was no way he could accept this.

“I can’t,” Daniel said, trying to yank the thing off. “Thank you but I can’t.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What? Sweetheart, I appreciate your dedication. And I know, I know. It’s not Hyperion but it’s okay. Better that than Torgue. Anshin’s quit the weapons-race. I’m not concerned.”

“It’s forty-five thousand dollars!”

“And some change,” Jack agreed.

“That’s… it’s a lot of money, Jack.”

“If you bought it, sure. But you didn’t. And I bought this key instead awhile back,” Jack said, tossing it to Daniel. “One-time use. Nice little keepsake though.”

“How much was the key?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “It was I’m not telling you dollars. And let it go if you’ve got cents.”

Daniel sighed, staring down at the shield. It was really, really nice. He liked how it gleamed. There was a single dent it in. It hadn’t been used by anyone before. And it was legendary. He’d never so much as seen a legendary anything before. “I don’t know.”

“What’s to know? You got shot at because I forgot to get you a shield. Got distracted. My fuck-up, my problem. And this is the solution. I said I’d get you things. Here’s a thing.”

Daniel crossed his arms although the gesture was more like hugging his arms to his chest. “But it’s like I’m using you for your money.”

Jack burst out laughing. “What? Oh my god. Say that again. I need to save that and play it back whenever I’m feeling down. That’s what this is about?”

Daniel nodded.

“Oh my god I wish you would just use me for my money,” Jack said, sounding exasperated. “And talking about this-- Arguing about this just makes me feel so fucking old. With the nagging and the worrying... I feel like I’ve been married to you for eighty godawful years. That is so boring, babe.”

“I don’t mean to--”

“Then could we just have fun?” Jack asked, tone vaguely approaching an irritated whine. He seemed keenly frustrated as if he suddenly had a lot of energy to put to use and Daniel was only thing keeping him from using it. “Like, come on. Seriously. Let’s just have fun. Let’s just be glad one of us is loaded and enjoy it. Don’t like that shield? Here’s another. Throw the one you don’t like in the air and I’ll shoot it out of commission.”

“If I… allow myself to have fun… Can I not do that?”

“Sure thing, pumpkin. Just lighten up, will ya? You’re way too hot to be way so worried about money. And it’s my goddamn money. I earn enough to buy one of those shields every hour on the hour. In fact, I’m on the clock right now.”

“You are?”

Jack glanced at the watch on his wrist. “For about eleven more minutes.” He shrugged when he looked over at Daniel. “I’m the boss. I do what I want.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh. And you said, and I’m just paraphrasing here, that you want to do what I tell you to do. So this is me telling you we’re having fun even if it kills us. If you don’t get with the program, I am driving us to a cliff and handcuffing you to the car door. And from there you can watch me throw stacks of twenties into a canyon cackling merrily as I make it rain.”

Daniel smiled sheepishly. “I’m really that bad?”

“The worst,” Jack assured him. “So what do you say? Can we have fun? Can you find it in you to embrace the fun times we can have?”

“I… Okay.”

“Awesome,” Jack said, waving Daniel to him. “Now come over here and let’s see what else we got.”

“All right.” He thought of apologizing and then decided against it. It didn’t seem like a thing Jack actually expected. It didn’t even seem like a thing he would like, really.

“Shotgun and sniper rifle. And a pistol.” Jack turned the shotgun over in his hands. “This one’s pretty nice.”

“Maybe you should take it,” Daniel said before quickly adding. “If I can have yours.”

“Mine?” Jack laughed. “As much as I’d like to, you’ll just ruin the whole experience for me.”

“I won’t.”

“You will. Here.” Jack picked the shotgun up. “Give it a look-see on that old ECHO you got. Just don’t pass out or anything.”

Daniel’s ECHO pulled up the information rather quickly. Social Conference Call. Hyperion munitions. One hundred and sixty-nine thousand dollars. 

“And the trial of having fun in spite of yourself begins... Now,” Jack said.

Daniel took a deep breath. “Um. Okay. So I still want it. And I think… Well, you used it to kill people for me. So… I want it.”

Jack looked pleased and then he rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. What is this? Middle School? Should I carve our initials on the barrel and put a giant heart around it.”

“If you want. I think it would make me feel better.”

Jack snorted, eyeing Daniel curiously. “How’s that?”

“It would um… what’s the word? Lower the cost of it?”

“Depreciate the value. Clever boy. You know what?” Jack turned the shotgun over, handing it to Daniel. “You want that kindergarten nonsense on it? We’ll do it later. I need a soldering iron. Just, you know, be good to her. And remember - ‘Guns don’t kill people, people kill guns.’”

Daniel laughed. “Is that an actual saying?”

“Almost was the company motto. ‘Guns don’t kill people, people kill guns. Through neglect.’ Added the last bit for the humor-impaired. But no one liked it as much as I did. You should take the pistol and the sniper rifle. Not great, but I mean, they’ll be for practice.”

Daniel took each gun slowly, examining each one curiously. “Shock damage?” he asked, turning over the pistol.

“That’s what took out the vending machine back there. Shock barrels. Corrosive barrels.”

“We tried explosive barrels. They didn’t last.” Daniel replaced his old pistol with the new one. Then he glanced over at Jack. “Can I get a machine gun though?”

“Thank god _finally a demand_. Yeah, I’ll get you some kind of Cutting Edge. Like the one you had. And dropped. Neglect, Daniel. It’s a real thing that happens to real guns.”

Daniel laughed, shaking his head.

“But I won’t bring it up again,” Jack said, looking over his new shotgun. “You’ll end up feeling bad and ugh… Don’t need that.” 

“Thank you.”

Jack glanced up.

Daniel closed the space between them. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do but he was grateful. And he wanted it to be clear he wasn’t going to hold a stray bullet against Jack. Much worse had happened in fights without anyone coming to his defense. “I shouldn’t have been… weird about it. I really--”

Someone cleared their throat a short distance away. A lanky man with sunburnt skin was eyeing them nervously. “Sir, uh, Handsome Jack?”

“Oh for the love of fuck,” Jack muttered. 

“Is that you or…”

“Yeah, it’s me. And it’s you. Deputy Dingbat,” Jack said, setting a hand on Daniel’s waist as he glanced over at the new arrival. “Right on time. If time had frozen still and we hadn’t been actively waiting for you for like half an hour.”

“It’s Deputy Dunbar, sir.”

“I call ‘em like I see ‘em. Where’s the Sheriff?”

“Uh, that is… Uh, well, you see everyone is out--”

“Uh, uh, uh, I,” Jack said, dragging out the I for quite a bit. “Super don’t care,” he continued. “Not even a little. Left you quite a mess to clean up and do you know why? Because some fucktards shot at us. At me.”

“At you, sir?”

“Indeed, sir,” Jack mockingly replied. He sighed, rubbing absently at his forehead. He eyed the blood on his hand and shrugged. “Now, okay, everyone’s out but you are here. No, no. Don’t shake your head. You are here. You are here because I can fucking see you. But even if you found a way to become invisible-- which honestly would be a great skill to hone right now-- I know you’re here because otherwise I wouldn’t have this searing headache that I get whenever it’s brought to my attention that a moron is on my payroll.”

“I, um, I’m paid by the town. Sir.”

“It’s his town though. And, Deputy... it might be better not to argue,” Daniel quietly pointed out.

Dunbar blinked. His eyes were skittering around the corners of their sockets as he wrung his hands. 

“Daniel, sweetie, hush now. Adults are talking,” Jack said mildly. He patted Daniel’s cheek before moving closer to Dunbar. “Now, look, scarecrow... Can I call you that? Can I-- Just nod, you dumbass. Nod yes. Nod your head. There you go. Now, look, scarecrow, I don’t know about you but when I’m running something? I nut up, I man up, I mount up, and I get ‘er done. And usually she likes it. Do you get what I’m talking about?”

“Sex, sir. I interrupted and I am so sorry.”

Daniel couldn’t help it. He laughed.

Jack did the same before shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Dunbar. “Oh, scarecrow, you are killing me here. I am talking about you doing a shitty, terrible, no-good, very bad job of being a Deputy. I get that the nut up part’s hard on those without, but I’m gonna have to get rid of you. Now… “ Jack picked the shotgun up. He cocked back the safety, aiming at Dunbar who stood there, sweating and mumbling under his breath. “I just got this bad boy. You’re missing it. Open your eyes.”

Dunbar reluctantly pried his eyes open. 

“Like I was saying. Just got this. But I don’t really want to break it in on you. Gun’s too valuable. So I’m going to give you. Hm. If you heard gun shots, Daniel, and your job was to deal with that kind of situation… How long would it take you to respond?”

Daniel sort of wished he could say it would take him a long time just because he had a feeling he knew where this was going. “I guess… Five? Maybe ten minutes? It would depend on where I was.”

“All right. Dingbat, you have five to ten minutes. Pack up and get lost.”

“Which one?” the deputy asked. 

Jack blinked, raising one eyebrow. “Uh. Excuse me?”

“Is it five minutes or ten min--” And then his head exploded.

Daniel scrambled back, hitting the empty loot chest with the back of his legs. He might have fallen over entirely but Jack reached back and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. 

Jack steadied him, gently patting his chest. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re fine,” he murmured, but he was focused on the woman in front of them.

She was only a short distance away and smirking as she lowered her sniper rifle. It seemed different. Daniel doubted it was Hyperion. The woman laughed a bit, reloading and letting an empty bullet shell hit the sand. Then she sauntered towards them. “You’re too slow, Jack. What gives?”

Jack shrugged. “I was firing him for you. Letting him go.”

“And I helped. Love the teamwork,” she said. “Hiya, killer.”

Daniel blinked, realizing she was smirking at him. “Hi.” He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Or with her. 

She was tall and wearing a trenchcoat, hat, boots, vest, and slightly shredded jeans. Just a bit of skin was showing around her midriff. She put a hand on one hip as she looked at Jack. “Is this my replacement deputy? He doesn’t seem like much of a step-up from this one,” she said, nudging Dunbar with the tip of one boot. 

“Dunno if I’d give you a replacement,” Jack said. “This town’s too much of a work in progress.”

“The problem is there’s only one of me and I’ve got work to do. I’ll promote Winger. And I got a solution. A list of rules.”

“And what will you do with that? Print it out and drop the book from a high height when someone misbehaves?”

“Hang people who can’t follow instructions. Like this one. I’ll have him strung up later.”

Jack laughed. “So you still shoot them first?”

“I do what I need to do. Now I appreciate you coming by, but there’s rules about that, Jack. We talked about this. You told me I could have the town.”

Jack sighed. “I said that you could run it.”

“Have it, run it…” The sheriff shrugged. “Well, this is me running it. Mine’s fully operational now. Should have that shipment for you soon. Now what’s with the eye candy? Is he for me or you?”

“Me. I thought you might be able to train him.”

Her grin turned curious and a bit mean. “Which way?”

“Shooting. It was a thought. I’ve had others since.”

She smirked. "Mmhm."

“Well, unruly morons aside, that’s good about the mine. I’d like more status updates and I don’t think they all require me being here in person.”

“Oh, but I like you coming in person. And since you’re here, you might as well stay. Get you fed if nothing else.”

“We’re mostly here for the loot,” Jack said, holding up the shotgun. 

“Let me know when you find some. If it’s not Jakobs--”

“It’s bound to be good,” Jack finished for her. “I’d stay if I was alone, but this won’t work. If he was any less polite, he’d have run away by now.”

The sheriff laughed. “Oh, please. Like he’s never seen a headshot before.”

“That guy didn’t earn it,” Jack pointed out. “Doesn’t matter to me, doesn’t matter to you. The kid’s new to this.”

“You should leave him here. I’ll help him lose some of that... newness right quick.”

“I got it,” Jack assured her. He kissed her cheek and smirked. “Be available. I’m about to get the ball rolling.”

“I wish you would. I’m so damned tired of hearing about it and you know how I feel about...them.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You should have the next batch arrive here first.”

“Would they get a better welcome than I did?”

She smirked. “Same kind, larger scale.”

“You’ll meet some of ‘em later on. Once I’m done.” 

“Promises, promises.” 

“I keep mine. Just be ready. And send the supplies. And all the eridium.”

“And I keep the town, Jack. Don’t be selfish. You’ve got yours and I want mine. What’s one grubby little town?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Fine. As long as I get what I need, you can have the town.”

“Once it’s over, paperwork? Make it all official and shit?”

“Once it’s over.”

They shook on whatever accord they’d struck. Jack glanced back, then he held a hand out, letting the fingers curl open and close. “Come here, Daniel.”

Daniel reluctantly moved past the corpse, taking Jack’s hand. He blinked a bit as he was dragged forward. When he was moving too close to the woman, he decided he didn’t care what it looked like. He clutched a bit at Jack’s arm.

The sheriff chuckled, eyeing him thoughtfully. “Good luck, kid. You’ll need it. ECHO me later, Jack?”

“Later,” Jack readily agreed.

She turned and headed away from them.

“Yeah, that would have been a disaster,” Jack said, watching her go and clearly talking to himself. “Right. So. Change of plans. I can teach you how to aim better. And fight. Nisha’s good at getting results because of course she is. But not from you. It won’t work.” 

“You don’t mind her having the town?”

“I don't mind her having _this_ town because it's her town. Hell, I don’t mind her having a lot of things. Just not the things that are mine.”

“Sharing is stupid.”

“Words to live by,” Jack said, nudging Daniel away but only slightly. “Might as well get the fuck out of here. Let’s see how you do when we Fast Travel off this miserable rock.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say the direction this chapter went in was not what I expected when I started writing this section. 
> 
> Originally I was sort of hoping for a bit more of a threesome angle but it seemed like both Jack and Nisha would be a little too much for Daniel. And Jack and Nisha are good with whatever their relationship is. Plus sometimes it's nice to just deal with two people and their dynamic.
> 
> Hopefully everyone's enjoying this fic so far. It's going to be a super long one. :)


	4. Chapter 4

*

It was really, really odd to cover so much distance so quickly and to feel as if nothing much had happened. All Daniel could see was a tunnel of bright blue, and he clutched at Jack, unable to prevent himself from doing so.

They made some stops as they moved from one location to another. It all blurred together and his ECHO device couldn’t get a solid reading on anything. He suspected it was less the outdated software and more the places they went to.

“One more thing,” Jack said after stop four or five. "Pretty vital to you setting foot in my house.”

He moved away, heading to a console directly in front of a large white room with windows made of thick glass. After the rapid press of keys, two large mechanical heads moved out from the ceiling. Or maybe they were more like turrets. They had one large lens each that swiveled, the lights around them glowing blue. A green circle lit up on white tile.

“Go on in. Gotta make sure you’re healthy. And check for a few other things.” 

“Other things?”

“Bugs.”

Daniel frowned. “I don’t have lice.”

“Other kinds of bugs,” Jack said sounding serious even as he shrugged. “It’s no big thing. Just need you to get a clean bill of health.”

Daniel hesitated in the doorway before going inside. The large glass door panel slid closed, and he tried hard not to panic. Or close his eyes.

“Gonna need you to strip,” Jack said. His voice sounded like it was coming from far away even though it was easy to see him on the other side of one glass wall. “Should have mentioned that sooner, huh?”

Daniel glared. 

“Don’t sass me. Strip. Take your clothes off. And all your other nonsense.”

Daniel removed his gear first. What Jack had given him, what he hadn’t sold at the vending machine, the crumpled fifty, the candy wrapper--

“Could you do that a bit slower?” Jack asked, sounding annoyed. “I mean, you’re moving so quickly and I would just _hate_ to miss a minute of this.” 

Daniel colored slightly. He pulled off his shirt, his boots, and his socks. He unbuckled a belt that was so worn, it broke into two pieces even as he slid it carefully through the loops on his jeans.

“Oh, now that is a shame,” Jack said. “Probably because you were zipping on through this so as not to waste my valuable time. But please, pumpkin. Don’t rush. Surely you’ve got a stack of expired coupons you’re just dying to sort through. A cherished pebble you gotta set down with a fuckton of care and deep reflection. I hope this is as good for you as it is for me. Because it’s fucking awful. For me.”

“I’ll go faster.”

“Seeing as all your pants are all you got left? I’d fucking hope so.”

Although Daniel was slightly nervous about it, he took off his jeans and everything else. He rubbed at the dirt on his right hand and awkwardly glanced at the window.

“You took your clothes off,” Jack pointed out, sounding bored. “It’s a goddamn miracle. Just so damn special to watch from here. I’m so honored. Go stand in the circle. It’s a shape. It’s green. Green’s a color.”

Daniel sighed doing as he was instructed, moving quicker than before if only to avoid being insulted any further.

“There you go. Stay there. Don’t move. Don’t fidget. Don’t think. Just stand there.”

“Okay.”

“Okay! Progress. So here’s what happens. This machine is going to give you a once over or two. There’s going to be some blue lights. Blue’s great. We fucking love blue. We don’t want any red ones or weird surprises so keep still. You got me?”

“Yes.”

“Good boy,” Jack murmured, looking up at a monitor. “Okay. All right. Vitals seem decent from here. Time for a closer look.” He tapped more buttons. “The scan’s going to start up. Might take awhile. I’m going to disappear for a second here. Again. It’s no big deal. Unless you move. Then it’s a big deal and it’s going to suck.”

“All right,” Daniel managed.

Jack rolled his eyes when he looked at Daniel. Then he waved, eyeing Daniel expectantly.

Daniel didn’t wave back.

Jack smirked and gave him a thumbs up. And then white metal panels slid up to cover the glass.

It was hard not to move, even worse without having anything to stare at. Daniel looked straight ahead at the white wall in front of him, feeling a bit cold as a grid of blue lights passed over him from various angle.

As time dragged by, he began to worry about what would happen. But the lights stayed blue. And when the bots above him beeped, their tone was soft and almost like a chirp.

Eventually the panels slid away from the walls. Seconds later, the door opened with a slightly whooshing sound. 

“And we’re good,” Jack said, walking into the room. “Here.” 

Jack tossed a black robe at Daniel and a small duffle bag. The robe was some bulky sort of fabric, black and soft. The collar was embroidered in what was possibly actual spun gold. And there was an H on both of the pockets. 

“Your clothes are just done,” he explained, “and we’re not going that far. Gather up some of that gear. If it isn’t legendary or hasn’t been replaced, it stays.”

Daniel nodded, pulling on the robe slowly. He startled a bit, blinking when Jack cinched the belt around his waist. 

“Bright lights, bright room, huh?”

“It’s a bit much,” Daniel admitted.

“None of it can do anything I don’t tell it to.”

“That’s something.”

“Could be worse. Could have left you with a bunch of scientists. But I wanted this done right and fast. And regardless of the speed, kitten... When you want something done right, let me do it. Hold out your arm. Roll up the sleeve.”

Daniel frowned but he did so. 

Jack pulled out a needle from the pocket of his coat. “You need some vaccines.”

“There’s only one needle.”

Jack patted Daniel’s cheek as he slid the needle in. “Science, baby. It does wonder. It makes sure we don’t stab people more than we need to if we like them. So. Seems you were sick as a kid.”

Daniel glanced up. “I don’t remember.”

“Well, we’re talking really little. Some kind of flu strain thing. Has a long name. Doesn’t seem to have done any damage. Lucky for you.”

“No one told me.”

“Considering a bandit lifespan and the whole wanting to light you up like a little bonfire is that really a surprise? How did you manage to score an ECHO device?”

“Picked them up off a friend,” Daniel said quietly. “He was older. Nice. He said I could have it if he died. So...I took it.”

“Old as shit,” Jack said, glancing at the ECHO. “He must have come by it the same way as you.”

“Probably.”

Jack tapped the back of the device then the screen. Then he began examining the edges. “I’m guessing you want to keep that clunky thing. You can if you want. As a paperweight. And that’s just a fact, honey. It would a pain in the ass to open up, and it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“I understand,” Daniel admitted. “I’d like to keep it.”

Jack looked up. “Helped, huh?”

“Helped me learn things. Not a lot of things. But there were vids on it. So I know how to read. Sort of. But I can’t write much. I can’t spell either.”

Jack snorted, crossing his arms. “Ah man. And here I had my heart set on a blue ribbon from the annual Hyperion-sponsored spelling bee.” 

“Not really though?”

Jack grinned. “Not really. But… Here’s a protip, babe. Don’t ever admit to having any shortcomings. What I’d rather hear about is how you managed to get a signal off of this relic.”

Daniel looked down at his hands, toying with the belt of the robe. “If I climbed up high enough. It didn’t last but it was there. And I mean… It was better to go off on my own anyway. Especially when I wanted to be… strange.”

“ _Strange_ being the bandit word for _normal_?” 

“Something like that.”

“You’re such a little shit,” Jack said, clearly amused. “Boring me with these sad tales of woe. The only thing that makes it okay is you don’t have an accent.”

Daniel laughed, glancing up. “What?”

“An accent. Like _Shoot and golly, mister, I reckon my life was harder than an old bee’s knee_ ,” Jack said with a truly obnoxious twang. Then he switched to something Daniel had no frame of reference for. “Or _Spare a bit of coin, guv, for us the people of the street? I am an orphan on account of the war-times, I am._ Fuck. I fucking hate accents.”

Daniel shook his head, smiling a bit. Mostly because Jack was smiling at him. “If I talked like that, I think I’d have to stab my own ears out.”

“Wouldn’t blame you. But your problem’s just you’re quiet. It’s a good instinct you got there, knowing when to shut up. You can talk, babe. You ought to. You’ve got things to say. You’re dying for someone to listen to you,” Jack said. “I can work with that.”

*

“Here we are,” Jack said once they reached their destination. With the dim lighting and no way to determine anything through his ECHO, Daniel found it hard to tell much about the place. 

Lights went on as he moved through the hallway, tugging Daniel along. “We’ll start small. Get you a shower and some food.”

“How big is this place?”

“Pretty fucking awesomely big. You’ll get a tour. This is a living room. Kitchen’s to the right, bathroom’s over in the corner. I’ll blow your mind with the rest later on.”

Everything was fairly dark even with the lights on, the walls, the furniture. The only color in the room came from the framed painting that hung directly over a long black leather couch. 

There was a blue background. Pandora’s moon was visible in the far corner with the Helios station right in front of it. The rest was covered in bright yellows from various robots. They were tall and wide, comprised mainly of rectangles. A small one hovered in the air. In the front of them all was Jack looking about the same as he did now if a little less bloody. 

“Like it?” Jack asked.

“Yes only… I don’t really recognize anything but you. And Helios.”

“Well,” Jack said, crossing his arms. “All the yellow guys are Loader Bots. I actually came up with their final design when I was dealing with bullshit on Elpis. That’s what your moon’s called, by the way.”

“Elpis,” Daniel repeated quietly. “Who came up with that?”

Jack shrugged. “Some dude somewhere. Who cares? It means hope. Spirit of hope. Something.”

Daniel frowned. “Why would it be hope? Is it better there?”

“On Elpis?” Jack laughed. “Fuck no, baby. The place is a cesspool. No, it’s not like that. The name ties into the myth of Pandora. Which… yeah, man. Let’s save the classic lit lessons for later, okay? What matters is that names are important. So ask me a better question.”

Daniel hesitated, glancing at Jack and then the painting as if it held any hidden clues. It did in a way, and even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered. Jack was starting to prowl around him. And he figured he needed to come up with something. “What does Hyperion mean?”

Jack stopped behind Daniel, setting hands on his shoulders. “Much, much better. Now, first off? Most myths are old nonsense,” he said, leaning in, “so I’m not saying any of this is real. But Hyperion was a titan. Like a god but better. He made the sun, the moon and the dawn. Helios is the sun.”

“You picked the name?”

“Not exactly,” Jack admitted, moving away.

Daniel frowned, wishing he hadn't asked. “But you kept it.”

“I did.”

“And now you’re Hyperion.”

Jack grinned. “I’m all kinds of awesome, remember? And you’re on your way. Ish. Let’s get you cleaned up. You’re kinda filthy and not in the fun way.”

Daniel blushed slightly. “Sorry. Um. Where should I do that?”

“Oh god no. Save me from segues into more stories about how hard your miserable life’s been. Come here.” 

Jack tugged Daniel along. Then he lightly shoved him ahead and into the bathroom. It was dark in there too, the tiles felt cool under his feet. The tub was long with four golden claws at the base. 

“Maybe a bath’s a better option. Shower might scare you.”

Daniel glanced around the room. “It would just be water, right? I can handle water.”

“Handle it by taking a bath then.” Jack moved forward, pressed a few buttons and then turned a small gold wheel. Water quickly began to fill up the tub. “When you hear a chime, you get in. Towels are in the closet there. I’ll get you clothes. And next time you can figure this out. Everything’s labeled and it’s not complicated.”

“Jack, I… I really didn’t mean to make you do anything.”

Jack glanced at him and snorted. “Oh, relax, will you? Geez. This is nothing like me actually giving you a hard time. If I was, it would be a lot worse than this. And I don’t do things I don’t want to do, honey. Not ever. So what I’m saying is you’ll be able to figure this out. And a lot of other things.”

“Right.”

Jack ruffled his hair. “There’s soap on the side. Wash up with that. Then clean the blood out of here. Shampoo first then conditioner. And that’s only for hair. You haven’t given me much to work with. What’s this like when it’s longer, cupcake?”

Daniel wished Jack had gone through everything a bit slower. He kept this thought to himself though. He was getting the sense that repeating himself or explaining things too often only served to make Jack that much more important. And feeling like a disappointment while keenly sensing Jack’s frustration on top of everything else was exhausting. “Wavy," he said quietly.

“Let’s grow it out then. I wanna see.”

Daniel smiled slightly. “If you want.”

“What I want is more enthusiasm, but you’re trying. I get that.”

There was a soft chime from behind them.

“Time’s up,” Jack announced. “Get in there and think good thoughts. Because it’s all good. Can you do that?”

“I think so.”

“If you can’t, close your eyes and think of me. Go to town, kid. Think how hot I am naked if nothing else. That always cheers me up.”

Daniel laughed. “I don’t know what you look like naked.”

Jack brushed a thumb over Daniel’s lips. “You can come up with something. Use your imagination. Show yourself a good time. Use your hand. And don’t give me that shy look. I’m sure you know what to do with that.” He moved away, looking amused. “So I’ll be back. Clean up and cheer up. In that order.”

The door slid closed with a rush as Jack left.

Daniel pulled off the robe, moving over to the tub and gingerly sinking into it. The water was so warm. He bit his lip, suppressing a groan. Then he leaned back against the whatever sort of stone the tub was made of. 

He washed up as instructed, scrubbing at his skin and hopefully getting rid of the mud, blood and sand caked on him. Then he took care of his hair. The tub was too dark to see if the dried blood had turned the water red or not.

Everything in the bathroom seemed gilded in gold. And everything seemed so expensive. How much else could the house have in it? How much could one person want? It seemed lonely. Strange. But maybe it was normal.

“Bad puppy. You’re not relaxing in there,” a voice said. Daniel couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from, but he knew it was Jack. “I don’t even have to look at you to know it. Close your damn eyes and think of something awesome. If you can’t handle me naked, there’s other things. Shitty things.”

Daniel sighed, closing his eyes. “Like what?”

“Seriously, we’re doing this? Fine. I guess we’re doing this. Okay. Shitty things. That first time you kissed her in the rain and it made the sun come back out. Then you saw her. Like really took a good look at her. And you knew at once that you could do better. Fluffy clouds shaped like your favorite dead pet. Funny. You can’t remember why you killed him. 

“The chance meeting of an old friend outside of a coffee shop. You never thought you’d see that old friend again. Not after the nuclear holocaust. The diamond ring he got you for your first anniversary. You thought he’d forgotten, but he didn’t. Oh, Roger. If only he’d shown it to you sooner. And then there’s double rainbows and whatever they mean. Pink pandoracorns prancing in a watercolor meadow... Ugh. Fuck. Now I need a drink.”

Daniel huffed as Jack ended the call. But he felt better. Not because of the words. Really, he’d barely paid them much attention. It had actually been Jack’s voice that helped ease the tension between his shoulders. He slid back a little in the tub, resting his head against it. He must have dozed off at some point because eventually Jack was shaking his shoulder.

“The shitty things put you to sleep, huh? Guess that’s something. Wanna get out now?”

“Mmhm. Yes,” Daniel said, blinking a bit and slowly rising to his feet.

Jack had shed a few layers. He’d lost the blood on his face, the jacket, the vest, and the long shirt. He didn’t have the watch either or the timepiece. Just jeans and a yellow sweater with the sleeves rolled up. 

“See? A bath was a good choice,” Jack said, tugging Daniel forward and into a towel. “You want me to tell you what to do so let me. I know these things. I know a lot of things.”

“Thank you.”

Jack snorted, ruffling the towel through Daniel’s hair. “Yeah, well, you’re welcome. I seem to recall you trying to thank me earlier.”

Daniel sighed quietly, letting Jack continue to dry him off. Occasionally his hands brushed against Daniel’s skin and that was nice. He stared at Jack’s arms for a moment then looked up again. “I was… Yes, I was, but I was also trying to do something else.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Jack smirked, wrapping the towel around Daniel’s waist. He let the fingers of one hand splay over part of the towel and part of Daniel’s chest. The other rested against the small of his back. “Wanna try again?”

“Okay but… you have to be nice about it. Please.”

Jack laughed. “Okay, baby. I’ll be nice. Go ahead.”

Daniel wasn’t sure what to do with his own hands, but he set them on Jack’s shoulders and leaned up. And he kissed him lightly on the lips, relieved when Jack’s lips felt perfectly normal. Pleased when the whole thing felt right. Jack hadn’t moved, which Daniel assumed was him being nice. 

“Look at you. Taking some initiative.”

“I know it wasn’t much.”

“For you it was.”

Daniel nodded, then eyed Jack expectantly. 

Jack raised an eyebrow. 

“Um. You said you’d be nice.”

“Oh for… Wasn’t I? Oh. Ooh. Wait. I see.” Jack grinned. “Dumb kid. You could have just said so.” He tugged Daniel closer and kissed him soundly. 

There was a hint of teeth against Daniel’s lower lip before there was another kiss. Jack leaned forward, forcing Daniel to lean back. He clutched a bit at Jack’s shoulders. 

Jack didn’t seem to mind. “There you go. Nice and everything?”

“Very,” Daniel managed.

“Can’t wait until you don’t want me to be nice,” Jack murmured, looking amused and... something else. Daniel wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but he sort of liked it. “That’ll be fun. So.” He gently hit Daniel’s ass with an open palm and grinned. “Got you clothes. Temporary clothes.”

“Okay.”

“My clothes,” Jack added, expression remaining the same. Intent and curious. Pleased, maybe?

It wasn’t much in the way of clothes either. Just a rather worn yellow t-shirt with Hyperion in very large and faded white letters. And black boxers with the same logo all over them.

“I figured you’d hardly care considering the garbage bag you were wearing this morning. Plus they’re clean. And your favorite word is on them.”

“I had to practice,” Daniel said, tracing the letters on the shirt. “Sounding it out, I mean.”

“Yeah? Whispering Hyperion like it was a little prayer?” Jack asked. The question could have been mocking, but it wasn’t because Jack’s tone was dark. Heavy and thick with something. 

“It felt like… a sign,” Daniel admitted, feeling stupid for saying it. But Jack didn’t look displeased. 

“It’s whatever you need it to be,” Jack said in an encouraging murmur. “Everything you need, baby.”

Daniel nodded. He hesitated then pressed his forehead against Jack’s shoulder. After a second or two, he closed his eyes again.

Jack’s hands played with his hair briefly. Then Jack pushed him away. The force of the gesture was so little that Daniel hardly felt it. But he moved just the same. “Don’t fall asleep on me yet. Get dressed. I wanna see how you look.”

Daniel colored slightly but he took off the towel. He quickly tugged on the shirt. Then the boxers. 

“Mm. Yeah. So glad your clothes sucked. Maybe you should just wear that all the time.”

There was a lot of soap or something on the shirt from being cleaned, but… “It smells like you. The shirt, I mean. It’s a good thing.”

“Say the second part of that again. And say it like you’re hoping I’ll kiss you because you said it. And then stop talking,” Jack suggested. His tone was stern but he didn’t look angry.

“It smells like you.”

“Yeah, that’s the stuff. You’ll make me proud in no time.”

*  
“Go sit on the couch, kitten. Tuck your legs up and look cute and I’ll feed you.”

Daniel wasn’t sure how to look cute, but he guessed he could manage something. “All right.” 

Jack headed into the next room.

Daniel considered the couch at first, brushing a few fingers over the leather. It was even nicer than the seats in Jack’s car. There was a blanket over the back of the couch. He pulled it down and spread it out over the cushions. 

When Daniel sat down, he fidgeted for a moment and then glanced behind him. He noticed a gold plaque underneath the painting. He turned around, kneeling on the couch. It was easier that way to inspect the sign, and tracing his fingers over the words. _Opportunity Rises_. He startled a bit when he was tugged back.

“Dunno if this counts as cute,” Jack said, lips pressed to Daniel’s ear. His hands touched Daniel’s shoulders briefly before they rested on the wall around him, fingers just missing the painting. “I’d rather you touched the real thing.” 

“I think I’d prefer that too,” Daniel shyly admitted.

“Such a good boy,” Jack purred, kissing the side of Daniel’s neck.

Daniel leaned back, uncertain but wanting more. “Does the city look like this?”

“Opportunity? Yeah a bit. Turn around and eat something.”

Daniel sighed quietly when Jack moved away. He faced the wall for a few seconds more. Then he turned around, eyeing the tray on the low table in front of them. There wasn’t much to see. A water bottle, a glass of some kind of alcohol, and a plate with a sandwich on it.

Jack stretched out on the couch, leaning forward and plucking a glass off the tray. “The scotch is for me. The rest is all yours.”

Daniel drank some of the water before picking up the plate. He sank back onto the couch, settling close to Jack and inspecting the sandwich.

Jack brushed a finger over Daniel’s arm. Then his hand. It was warm and Daniel stared at the digit as it moved back and forth over his skin. 

“It’s just peanut butter and jelly,” Jack said. “Some kind of berry bullshit. Bread. Simple stuff. Still don’t know what to feed you. Put it in your mouth, dopey, don’t pick at it. What’s up?”

Daniel blinked a bit. “Oh. Nothing. I mean… I don’t think so. I just… You were touching me and it was nice.”

Jack chuckled. “Eat the sandwich. Then you can fall asleep. I’ve got work to do.”

Daniel nodded and picked up half of the sandwich. It was probably as simple as Jack made it sound, but it tasted good. 

“Have more water,” Jack suggested, downing his own drink. “Tomorrow I might need you to make a list of the things you’ve eaten. Figure out how to move on from there.”

“Wouldn’t only bad food make me sick?”

“Yeah or eating too much. Dunno. What was your diet like on Pandora?”

“Vegetables. Skags. Bread sometimes if someone made it. We did a lot of looting and stealing so sometimes we ate better than that. There were protein bars for a few months. I liked those. There was coffee… Is there a saying about how grenades and coffee don’t mix?”

Jack snorted. “No, but there ought to be.”

Daniel nodded, picking up the second part of the sandwich. “Did you make this?”

“Did I... spread two things on two pieces of bread and put them together and cut them and put them on a plate? Yeah. But I won’t always do it. I’m expensive.”

Daniel chuckled quietly. “Sorry.”

“You should be. Hell, I should send you a bill for those two minutes I’ll never see again.” 

Daniel smiled. “But then you’d just pay it to make me feel bad about not having any money?”

“Most likely.”

Daniel nodded. Then he yawned, regretting it immediately because it only made him yawn again several more times.

Jack yawned a bit too before rolling his eyes. “Yeah, great. Definitely more coffee in my future. And it’s a near future where I get some actual work done. Gotta see what those idiots have done after a half-day without me. Where do you want to sleep? There’s down here on a couch. There’s other floors and most of them have bedrooms… I can set you up a hammock somewhere if you hate both options.”

“What’s down here?”

“This area and then my office.”

“I’ll sleep here.”

“Good plan. You can pick out a bed tomorrow.” Jack got to his feet and moved over to a small closet. He pulled out a few pillows, chucking them at the couch. “You want more pillows?”

“How many are there?”

“Fuck if I know. Six?”

“I think two is fine.” 

“All right. How many blankets?”

“Just this one’s fine.”

Jack brought the rest of the pillows and an extra blanket over just the same. “Pull that blanket up off the couch. Put this sheet down. It’ll fit.”

Daniel reluctantly stood, slowly putting the sheet over the cushions. When he was done, he watched Jack put the pillows in place and the blankets. 

“Go on. Get some sleep,” Jack suggested, patting Daniel’s backside when he didn’t move. “Come on now. Crawl under the covers, firebug. Got things to do. Are you thinking about something? That’s so bad for you. Don’t do that.”

“I know,” Daniel said sadly. “I know that but… Will all of this be here tomorrow?”

Jack laughed. “What kind of question is that? Do they just not teach object permanence in Banditville? Let’s put it this way, kiddo, all of this will be here if it knows what’s good for it. I’ll be super annoyed if it’s not. Surprised, obviously, but mostly annoyed.”

Daniel smiled shakily. He got under the blankets and sighed as Jack left. 

He felt lonely all but instantly, but it was warm in the room and he felt clean for the first time in weeks. The couch was soft and there were far more pillows than he was used to. Then again, he wasn’t really used to having pillows at all.  
Staring up at the ceiling, Daniel realized how strange it was not to have all the sounds of the others sleeping around him. He’d gotten used to the wheezing, the breathing, the snoring, the mutterings… But he didn’t think he missed it. He couldn’t think of even a person he would miss. And he couldn’t come up with even one reason to wish he was back on Pandora.

The lights went off quickly either because of a timer or Jack taking care of them from somewhere else in the house.

 _All of this will be here tomorrow_ , Daniel told himself. And then he closed his eyes.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And day 1 of ??? is over. I'm trying to come up with other projects to work on for Borderlands (for 2, the Pre-Sequel and/or Tales)... But I have to say writing this fic has been extremely enjoyable and fun for me. 
> 
> (Also the description for the painting is 100% based on [this Gearbox poster](https://www.etsy.com/listing/228249260/borderlands-2-handsome-jack-opportunity).)


	5. Chapter 5

*

At some point, someone started nudging his shoulder. Daniel shifted in his sleep, hand curling around something heavy and warm. An arm. Hm. He ran a hand over it. Jack’s. Well, that was all right. 

“Uh, as touching as this is… Are you gonna actually use my hand for something? Because if you are, great. If not, I need it back.”

Daniel reluctantly opened his eyes. Then he sighed very quietly in relief to see nothing had changed, hoping Jack wouldn’t notice. “Hello.”

“Good morning,” Jack said with a smirk. “I’m heading into work. As in leaving the building. Figured I’d let you know. There’s food on the table here. Water next to it. I made you a list of things to do. Let’s go over it.”

Daniel let Jack pull him upright, smiling slightly when the other man sat down next to him. He rubbed his eyes, examining the small pad he’d been given. 

**Eat. Shower. Change Clothes. Sleep.**

Daniel chuckled, glancing up. “These are pretty easy.”

“Yeah, well. Some things should be.”

“I could do more.”

Jack took the pad and hastily added something to it with the pen attached to its side. He handed the device back to Daniel. "Here."

 **Miss Me.** Daniel smiled. “All right.”

“It’ll have be. For now, there’s not much else you can do, babe. You have access to the side rooms. The one you used last night plus the kitchen. Not my office. And not the other floors. I can disable the Fast Travel so it’s not like anything bad could happen, but the rest can wait.”

Daniel nodded. It seemed sensible enough, and he already got the sense Jack liked keeping his office private. So he wouldn’t ask much about it. In situations where he himself lacked a strong preference, he’d learned it was easier to give people what they wanted. 

The fact that Jack had work to do and ran a corporation that required a space station made it a lot easier to accept the way things were. Being told to stay put wasn’t really a big deal. After all, it was Jack’s house.

It helped that Daniel had dealt with less reasonable demands. The others had often been loud and strange. One of them had a stuffed animal that looked like skag and he talked to it almost exclusively. Another had opted to live in a Dahl dumpster because he needed a place to meditate. And a third had been really weirdly possessive of this empty cardboard box he’d found and when it had gotten damp and ruined, he’d… Well, it wasn’t something worth thinking about. 

“Hey,” Jack thumbed Daniel’s lips until he managed a small smile. “I think you should limit the thoughts that aren’t me-related. That’ll be on the next list.”

Daniel laughed. “You’re demanding that already?” 

“Sure am. It’s better than whatever shit you’re dwelling on.” Jack picked up the water bottle and handed it to him. “Drink.”

“To forget?”

Jack snorted. “To stay hydrated, smartass.”

Daniel took a sip and looked over at the table. “Another sandwich?” There was a ring of yellow and a smaller one of red around it. Fruit of some kind.

“Eat at least half of it now. Half later.” Jack stretched a bit, yawning. “New ECHO’s on the table. And I mean new in the loosest sense of the word. It’s the oldest new model I could scrounge up. Some kind of stupid thing where they just added a bunch of letters so it seems like a different product.”

Daniel eyed the device curiously. “That’s a ECHO device? But… it’s so small.”

Jack chuckled. He leaned in, cupping Daniel’s cheek in one hand. “Now, I get where you’re coming from, honey, and I agree. Size completely matters. For certain things. In fact, I have something very, very large that I’d be glad to show you later. And trust me. You’ll be satisfied.”

Daniel colored slightly. He’d have been a little embarrassed for both of them only the way Jack said what he said… It must have been nice to be so sure of yourself. “I, uh… That’ll be pretty cool. Right?”

“Obviously,” Jack said, keeping his hand where it was.

Daniel picked the ECHO device up gingerly. He stared at it, turning it over in his hands. “Where’s the old one?”

Jack took his hand away and rolled his eyes. “In my office, you little packrat. I’ll give it to you later. Get your list done and be good for me, okay?”

“Okay.” Daniel gently reached up, taking Jack’s hand in his. “And thank you. Seriously.”

Jack patted Daniel’s fingers before rising to his feet. “That’s better. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way.”

Daniel nodded. “Have a great day, Jack.”

“Yeah. That’s always the hope,” Jack muttered. He offered up a gesture that was half wave and half salute. “ I’ll be back at some point.” Then he headed out of the room.

*

Completing the list was, of course, simple. Daniel left the ECHO communicator on the table and tried the shower, embarrassed to find that it did scare him once it started up. 

He moved cautiously under the spray, feeling ridiculous because… Well, this must have been normal too. And he understood how the shower worked. To a degree. They’d have something vaguely like this back home only it had been a shoddy, hastily completed project. The pipes led to a water source and pressure moved the water from one point to another. Or something like that. But it was still a little baffling to see something working so well and with so little effort on his part. 

Toweling off, he eyed the clothes he’d been left. Another yellow t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans. The denim seemed a bit of a mess really what with all the rips around the thighs and knees. He suspected they had been put there on purpose too. 

Surprisingly, the yellow shirt did not say anything about Hyperion. Instead it said “Don’t give up on your dreams. Stay in bed.” Dreams and bed were bolded and in orange.

Daniel rolled his eyes at the message, but it made him smile just the same. 

The kitchen was… complicated. Drawers and cabinets and red blinking lights. He’d gone on a few raids and seen the inside of small houses in different settlements. Again, he understood it all to a degree but he didn’t really know how to find anything.

He sighed, setting his hand on one of the many doors. The lights turned green and a chime went off. The door slid away and suddenly it was very cold. Too cold. Daniel snagged some water bottles before getting the hell out of there.

After he finished his sandwich, he picked up the ECHO device and put it on. The user interface was much better. Everything was brighter and pulled into focus. He didn’t have to squint to make out certain letters. The images he could pull up were so crisp and clear, he had to resist the urge to try and touch them.

“Learning some new things, pumpkin?”

Daniel startled. Jack’s voice sounded like it right in his ear and also surrounding him. “That’s not on the list.”

“Don’t let that stop you. I mean, it’s kinda hot that you want to obey me so completely, but there’s room for additions so long as you manage everything on the list. Remember - it’s fun to have fun.”

“Are you having fun?”

There was a soft whir and a clicking noise. Jack must have been reloading a gun. “Oh yeah. Tons of it. You should watch some videos. Cartoons or something. Or maybe listen to some music. I mean, it won’t be as high quality as your favorite junkyard banjo and jug band but, really... What could be?”

Daniel chuckled. “I might,” he decided. “When will you be back?”

He could practically hear Jack’s grin. “Why? You lonely, little rantling?”

Daniel shrugged even though Jack couldn’t see it. Or most likely couldn’t. It was hard to tell. 

“You don’t like that one.”

“Not really,” Daniel quietly admitted. “But I am. Lonely. I think.”

“It’s okay, baby,” Jack said in a soothing murmur. “I won’t use it again and I’ll be… Let’s see here... Half an hour. Ish. Maybe a bit longer. Need to make a mess and get it cleaned up. Have to do it myself because I always do.”

“At least then it’s done right.” 

“At least,” Jack agreed. “Gets a bit old though. Boring as hell too. I’m a hands-on kinda guy but I’d like to put my hands to better use than this. Problem is not everyone’s as good as following instructions as you are.” There was a pause followed by some light clicks. “You know what? I think your reward will be an adventure.”

Daniel smiled, pleased by the slight praise. Not to mention the idea he’d be rewarded for something. That was unusual but in a good way. “An adventure?” 

“Yeah. Some target practice first. See what we can do about your aim. I’m guessing it was nerves. Then we’ll go out. Need to piss off this one guy and do some scouting for a...thing. Ever been to the Arctic Wasteland?”

“Well… Your kitchen was cold.”

Jack laughed. “Okay wow. Not the answer I was expecting. I’m guessing you met the refrigeration unit.”

“Is that what it was? I found more water bottles.” 

“Hooray for you then,” Jack said, sounding amused. “Get some more sleep, honey. I’ll wake you up in a bit.”

Daniel moved over to the couch. “All right.”

“Sweet dreams. Don’t let the kitchen eat you.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Only a little bit.”

Daniel huffed. 

“Aw, don’t be like that. Look, I’ll monitor your vitals. And if the fridge monster makes a move, I’ll take him out.”

“I’m ending the call now.”

“Uh huh. And do you know how?”

“Um…” Daniel pulled up the HUD screen. But he had no idea how to end a call he didn’t remember accepting. Maybe it wasn’t even a call. Maybe Jack had some sort of direct line to his ECHO? Daniel liked that idea. “I’m sure I can figure it out?”

“That’s precious. You’re really precious. Be seeing you.”

Daniel sighed a bit when Jack’s voice went away. 

*

Going back to sleep had seemed like the best plan. And it must have only taken half an hour because the next thing he knew Jack was shaking him awake.

“Did everything work out?”

“For me,” Jack said with a smirk. “Not so much for the other guy. Guys. Whatever. You hungry?”

“No.”

“Great. Let’s go shoot things.” 

Daniel reluctantly got up and followed Jack out of the room. They entered some kind of metal box and Jack pushed some buttons. Everything shifted slightly as it rose. Daniel made an effort not to clutch at Jack but he moved closer to him.

“Easy. This won’t hurt you either,” Jack said, putting an arm around Daniel’s waist. “You wanna hold on to me, you can.” 

Daniel shook his head. He felt overwhelmed, but he didn’t want to be a problem. “I’m good.”

“Might wanna try looking it. But you are good,” Jack assured him. He tugged him closer and ran a hand through his hair. “So good, babe. Just a few more floors.”

“This is all part of the same house?”

“It sure is. Here we go.” The metal doors opened and Jack steered Daniel out into a long hallway. 

They stopped near a black door made of some sort of stone. Jack pressed a palm to the door and lights scanned his fingers before the door opened.

The room was as long as the hallway. Along it was a low wall with counter tops. Beyond it was another empty room.

Jack went over to a small monitor and pulled out a keyboard. Green, blue and red rings appeared in one area. Holographic blue outline of bodies appeared in another. Lights came on overhead as Jack moved to the counter. He slid a hand over it and another panel slid out with several guns on it.

“So. Target practice. Just for a little while. You know your way around a gun to some degree. Come here, champ.” Jack gestured for Daniel to come over to him. 

“You duck your head and you slouch a lot. Don’t do that with or without a gun. And as nice as this is,” he added, tapping Daniel’s hip. “Don’t aim from it.”

They worked from one gun to another. The pistol, the machine gun, the shotgun and then the sniper rifle. Jack checked each one before handing them to Daniel. Then they went over some of the stats. What they meant and what the red text description was all about. 

Jack’s hands stayed on Daniel almost the entire time but his fingers were moving constantly. Steadying his grip as he told him about how to handle the recoil. Correcting his posture over and over again. Patting his shoulder when he did a good enough job.

Eventually Jack kissed Daniel’s cheek and yawned. “Good boy. Hopefully this’ll boost your confidence. I’m all about inspiring people.”

Daniel laughed, putting the safety back on the sniper rifle before setting it down. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. But right now I am all about coffee. And doing something that isn’t this.”

“If you teach me how to make it, you could inspire me to get you coffee.” 

“That is... not a bad plan.”

Daniel slowly turned to face him. “I liked this though.”

“You like me touching you,” Jack cheerfully pointed out. 

_And the guns_ , Daniel thought, but he stopped himself from saying as much. He had a feeling Jack already knew and also didn’t particularly care. “Yes,” he said instead. “I really liked that part of it.”

Jack moved forward, closed what little space remained between them. “I’ll keep doing that,” he offered, lightly tugging Daniel to him. 

“You don’t mind?” 

Jack laughed. “Mind? Uh, no. I can’t say as I do.” He rested his hands on Daniel’s shoulders. He slowly let them move down, fingers stroking over Daniel’s bare skin. “Does it seem like I do?”

Daniel bit his lip for a moment before answering. “No.”

“Good. Hell, it’s no great hardship. Here’s the thing, kitten. I don’t need excuses to do it. But if you want it more and often? I need permission. You want me to touch you?”

“Yes. I want that,” Daniel admitted. 

“Anything else?” Jack prompted. “Gonna ask for it to be nice? For me to be gentle?”

Daniel shook his head. 

“No, you’re not,” Jack agreed. He sounded pleased. “Do you know why?”

“I think so.”

“Tell me.”

“Because… I don’t think I need to. Say that, I mean. Not if you’re going to look after me.”

“Good boy. And what else do we say?” Jack asked, thumbing Daniel’s chin. “Hm? Do you know what to say? I’ll give you a hint. Manners.”

Daniel smiled hopefully. “I want you to touch me. Please, Jack.”

Jack grinned. “Wish granted. See, sweetheart?” he added, stroking Daniel’s cheek and then his neck. He let his hand rest over the same pulse point as before. “We’re having fun. You’re capable of fun.”

“With you,” Daniel pointed out. But then he regretted doing so because he figured Jack would move away. “And it’s not me, really. It’s mostly because of you.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Jack said. “What the hell sort of lowlife mouth-breathers have you been living with? Look, kid. The amount of good times you’ve had is virtually nonexistent. I’m guessing you maybe had half of one once but then someone punched the happiness right out of you. The amount of good times I can provide you is infinite. What’s another word… Endless. So of fucking course you’re having fun with me. Because of me. With me. And it ought to just be me. Yeah? Okay?”

Daniel eyed Jack thoughtfully before nodding. “Okay.”

“Yeah it is. Hey,” Jack murmured, brushing a hand through Daniel’s hair. “You know, touching’s a two-way street. Meaning if I can touch you? You can touch me. Feel free, okay? And that’s an anytime, anywhere type of invitation.”

Daniel hesitated then wrapped his arms around Jack, hiding his head against one shoulder.

“There you go. Poor puppy. Dying to latch on to me. Well, you ahead and do that. It’s fine,” Jack murmured. “What’s not fine? Is that you’re a mess. Just a little bit, but still. A mess.”

“Yeah.”

Jack’s arms wrapped around Daniel’s. “It’ll get sorted. I’ll sort you out. But I get it. This is hard on you. I mean, your ECHO shrunk, the shower scared you, the kitchen _definitely_ tried to eat you, you don’t even know what an elevator is, I made you have fun for a whole minute there, and now I’m letting you molest me. So, you know. Just a terrifying day so far.”

Daniel laughed quietly. 

“That’s better. Take a deep breath for me. There you go. You are _so tense_. Gotta learn to relax, buddy. You’re still in this weird-ass survival mode. And you’re used to being very quiet.” Jack tapped his fingers lightly over the small of Daniel’s back. “But you want me to have you so let me have you. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Daniel nodded, reluctantly moving away. “All right,” he managed. 

“Yes it is,” Jack agreed, watching him closely. “You know,” he added, moving his arm to wrap it around Daniel’s shoulders, “finishing your list is great and all, but my list was way more complicated. You wouldn’t even believe the morning I had. Work was all sorts of piles of shit. So coming home to you being such a sweet boy? That makes me happy.” 

“It does?”

“Oh yeah. Because this,” Jack said, pointing to both of them rapidly, “this is progress. And I’m very, _very_ proud of you already. Let’s go have ourselves an adventure.”

*

Daniel eyed the vehicle uncertainly. He really thought it would have been nicer if it had been given doors of some kind. “This isn’t a car.”

“Really,” Jack said, looking amused. “I never would have guessed. This is a stolen design of a stolen design. A stingray. Modified hover-bike. With just enough room for two. I figure if you’re going to cling, might as well cling to me on this.”

“I don’t know.”

“How about this.” Jack went over to the Catch-a-Ride station and summoned up another bike. This time it was a bright, vibrant purple instead of grey. “Better?”

Daniel narrowed his eyes as he looked the vehicle over. He huffed eventually, looking at Jack. “All you did was change the color.”

“Nothing slips by you, does it? That’s the point. Who wants to ride some boring grey piece of shit? It’s purple and therefore more fun. Or here.” The next bike was yellow with black stripes. “Hyperion-themed. Our favorite.”

“Could there be a car with those colors?”

“I mentioned you get to cling to me, right?”

“Right.”

Jack frowned, looking a little put-out. “Huh. Really thought that would be enough. I mentioned _I_ modified it, right? Like me personally?”

“Jack, I’m sure the bike is awesome. I’m sure I’d have the best time holding onto you,” Daniel promised him. “But the thing is… It’s really cold and there’s a lot of gear. Or whatever you brought with. You can’t fit them on a bike.”

“Sure I can.” Jack went over to the chests, pulling out a small silver key. Two sniper rifles and two strange-looking pistols emerged from the first one. The second chest had ammo and two bedrolls. The sniper rifle type seemed normal enough. The pistol ammo came in two colors neon pink and neon orange. “I’ll strap the guns to you, pocket the ammo, and we’re good to go.”

Daniel crossed his arms. “What is all this?”

“We’re hunting bullymongs.”

“What are those and why?”

“You gotta get out more, babe,” Jack said. “Giant ape-like monsters with four arms who live in the snow and tundra. On your homeworld. And we are hunting them because this douchebag I don’t like is writing a book about them.”

“A book?” 

“Or what’s the word… An almanac,” Jack added with a weird accent and a roll of his eyes. “Fucking dweeb. Anyway, the idea is you take ‘em out with the sniper rifle and then you try to be the first to tag ‘em with the paintball gun. I’m totally going to win because I’m totally going to cheat.”

Daniel laughed before shivering slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. He hadn’t realized any part of Pandora was this empty and snow-covered, but then his clan had never done much wandering around. And it was really cold even with the coat he’d been given. The coat was really nice though. Black with a furred collar and a gold Hyperion patch high up on the left sleeve. He brushed a finger over the logo as he looked at Jack. 

“Are they dangerous?”

“I guess. Not as dangerous as me so we’re good.” Jack considered him for a moment. “Guess we’ll have to get a car. Can’t have you freezing to death on me. But we’re using a hover-bike in the near future.”

“Somewhere warm, right?”

“Somewhere warm,” Jack agreed, going back to the station. “Car first. Then I’m locking this down so it’ll only respond to my biometric signature. Because I can.”

“Won’t other people need it?”

Jack shrugged. “That’ll be Scooter’s problem. I’m sure the inbred moron will sort it out. Or he’ll go crying to momma for some help.”

“We don’t like him?” Daniel asked.

“We sure don’t. He’s on my shit list. I’ll send you a copy. Gets updated a lot though. _Et voila_.” A car materialized sporting the same colors as the last hover-bike. It was similar to the one Jack had first shown up in too. “Let’s load ‘er up.”

Between the two of them, it didn’t take long to get the crates in the back seat. Jack helped Daniel into the passenger seat, strapping him in again. He drove fast, looking slightly smug when Daniel set a hand on top of the one that was shifting gears. 

“That’s a decent number of dens,” Jack eventually decided. The car skidded to a stop and they got out a rather significant distance away. 

“All right. Pick your guns. Then find a place to perch or stand. I’ll draw ‘em out.”

Daniel frowned. “How?”

“I thought I’d stick my head in a cave and yell,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll use the horn, cupcake.”

Both of the sniper rifles were insanely expensive and relatively overpowered. Daniel couldn’t actually see much of a difference between them.

Jack handed him a pistol and a few boxes of ammo. “You’re pink, I’m orange. And you want the rifle that does fire damage.”

“What about you?”

Jack grinned. “I’ll manage with a regular one. So again. You kill ‘em with a sniper rifle, tag ‘em with the pistol.”

“Before you do.”

“That’s the idea. And take one of these,” Jack replied, holding out a bedroll. “Stand on it, kneel on it. Whatever works. Don’t need you getting sick.”

“All right.” Daniel headed for a small slope nearby. He laid the bedroll out flat, crouching on it. He was more than a little glad he’d been able to change out of the jeans he’d been given and into something less full of holes.

Jack rolled his shoulders back, looking around. He found a spot closer to the car and one of the larger dens. He all but tossed his gear down, darting back to the car and pounding on the horn. 

There was a dull roar that Jack merely laughed at. Massive beasts came out of the caves, glaring and banging their large fists against the ground. One of them charged while most of them seemed to be gathering up snow or ice to throw.

Daniel swallowed hard, dealt with the safety on his gun and aimed. He shot the one heading for Jack, watching its head give way and its fur burn. He switched guns as quick as he could and managed to tag the kill. He felt a little proud to have beaten Jack to it but then he heard three shots in a row. Followed by three more.

“Thanks for the assist,” Jack called out. “That’s one den down.”

Daniel rolled his eyes, ducking when a large chunk of snow flew past his shoulders. Some of it hit him, but outside of feeling cold, the snow didn’t do any damage. Partially because it was snow and partially because of his shield.

“Stop playing around. Keep your eye on the prize, Danny boy,” Jack added as he fired another round. 

Daniel pulled out his pistol, tempted to try and steal the bullymong Jack had killed. But as he lined up the shot, he realized he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to compete against Jack. And when he missed, it was on purpose. The pink paint splattered in the snow. 

Jack grinned, tagging it easily. “Nice try.”

“What’s the prize?”

“Oh, you’ll see. And uh... Don’t look behind you.”

Daniel stilled, unsure if Jack was serious or not. But then he felt something like cold air on his neck. Whatever was behind him growled and smacked a hand into the rock near him.

“Also move,” Jack suggested.

Daniel darted forward as a large fists smacked the ground. The bullymong roared and when Daniel glanced back, he noticed the bones covering its arms and face. “What is that? What do I do?”

“That is a badass big old angry monster dude. And you could, you know, shoot it maybe? Or I will. But you’re the one who needs the points.”

Daniel scowled, trying to put more distance between himself and the bullymong. 

Jack was watching them. Sort of. He was also taking out a few of the smaller monsters and smirking slightly. “You know, hindsight really is twenty-twenty,” he said in a loud but conversational tone. “I think shotguns might have been better.”

“That does me a lot of good now!”

“Oh for… Stop dancing with it, you goofball. Aim and shoot.”

The bullymong was still charging at him. Daniel ignored how the rifle shook as he aimed and then shot. He missed the head so he darted further back and shot again not bothering to aim. The bullymong kept coming but it was on fire now and screeching. It fell, sliding on the ice as the fire went out. It stopped at Daniel’s feet.

There was another shot. Orange paint splattered one of the bullymong’s massive arms and the side of Daniel’s face.

“Cool. A twofer.”

“That was mine.”

“It’s mine now. Looks like you are too. Told you I’d cheat.”

Daniel rolled his eyes, glancing at the pile of dead bullymongs leading up to the ridge Jack had moved to. He’d been aiming for the big ones and Jack had picked off the small ones. “You were winning anyway.”

“Could be. We can consider that guy there a team effort if you want.”

Daniel chuckled, slinging his sniper rifle over one shoulder and moving over to Jack. “Team effort?”

“Did you not hear all of words of encouragement I offered up?”

“Right. Because you inspire people.”

“Sure do. It’s better when you’re closer though. Way more inspiring.”

“Is that so? Well…” Daniel reached into his pocket where there were a few more pink pellets. He pulled one out, smashing it in his hand, trying to avoid ruining his coat. Then he brushed a paint-covered finger over Jack’s cheek. It was only a little paint this way. Not enough to be upsetting. Or so he hoped. “There. I get you at least.”

Jack’s expression was impossible to read for a second and then he smacked Daniel’s ass. “One step ahead of you,” he said with a grin. “Take a look.” He held up his hand which was covered in neon orange paint. “Also you should get better at claiming things, baby. A little paint won’t do it.” He grabbed Daniel’s wrist gently and pressed his hand to the side of his face. “See? Much better.”

“You still won though.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten.”

“What sort… Mmph.” Daniel sighed quietly, happy that Jack was kissing him. When it was over, he smiled. “That’s your reward?”

“That’s yours for being a good sport. My reward is this.”

Daniel blinked, a little confused when Jack tugged him closer. He laughed when Jack hoisted him over his shoulder. Everything went upside down. He decided not to struggle. It would have been pointless anyway what with Jack’s grip on his legs. “You get to cart me around?”

“You make a decent trophy,” Jack said, patting Daniel’s ass. Both in appreciation and, Daniel suspected, to get rid of the remaining paint. “Lightweight. Portable. I’d say something about stuffing and mounting you but...we’re not there yet.”

“No,” Daniel agreed.

“There’s time and-- Shit. Hold up. Can’t do this right now. Have to set you down.”

Daniel frowned as his boots touched the ground. He moved back slightly, looking Jack over. “Are you hurt?” he asked, moving closer setting his hands on Jack’s shoulders then Jack’s cheek.

Jack laughed, brushing Daniel’s hands. “I’m gonna let the paint slide because you look very concerned. That’s cute. Did I hurt myself carrying you around? Please. You’re like a damp thistle. Maybe a bundle at best. No. I need a picture of this. For that douchebag I told you about.” 

Jack pulled out his pistol shooting the empty space between the monsters. He made an H then reloaded to make a J in the snow. He blinked his green eye just a bit as he glanced over the landscape. “Here we go.” He pulled up a screen and typed something onto a blue nearly see-through keyboard that appeared along his arm. “Now to come up with something clever. Nah. You know what? Just the picture and a winky face. Perfect. And now we wait. Gather up your nonsense, pumpkin.”

Daniel took care of his supplies and then he rounded up Jack’s. Jack leaned against the car, tapping his fingers against a sizable dent one of the bullymongs must have made.

“Here we go,” he announced as Daniel had loaded the last of it into the car. “Here we go. You’ll want to hear this.” Jack chuckled. “Oh, hey there, pal. Duke Hammerhead, right?”

“It is Hammerlock,” a haughty voice said. “And I am not a Duke. Hunting for a challenge, sport, or purpose would be one thing. You killed those bullymongs for absolutely no reason. Do you know that, if left unprovoked, they will not harm a living soul?”

Jack laughed and it wasn’t a very pleasant sound. “Yeah should have picked up on that cuz they were so busy singing campfire songs and roasting marshmallows when we showed up. Ya know, I think the big guy tried to talk to us. Grunted something like ‘ _Hammerlock... is... a loser_.’ I should have recorded it, right? How cool would that have been for your pretentious little journal? So cool. What a fucking shame.”

There was silence and then: “You are an unmitigated ass.” 

“Totally worth it,” Jack cheerfully replied then he ended the call. “Good job all around,” he added, smirking at Daniel. “Get cleaned up. Gotta meet up with some employees, do some actual work.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the light of recent [insert Tales spoilers], I would like to make it clear that Jack's opinions on various NPCs do not resemble my own. Obvious but worth mentioning.
> 
> Sorry about this update being a bit slow. I've been down a lot lately and yeah. Thanks for reading and commenting and everything! :)


	6. Chapter 6

*

Once he’d gotten the paint off his face, Jack shrugged out of his ruined coat. He wadded it up, tossing it in the back. He watched Daniel with his arms crossed. He still had a collared shirt, a vest, and a long-sleeved shirt but the wind was picking up.

Daniel wiped off his hands, wondering about the hand-print on the back of his jeans. 

“It’s a good look, honey. Keep it. The seats don’t matter. And the ride’s temporary.”

“What about you? Won’t you get cold?”

Jack grinned. “Nah.” He moved to the passenger’s side, leaning over the seat and pressing a button on the console. “This will help. Come here, kid.”

Daniel moved over to him. 

“Get in.”

Daniel climbed into the car, blinking a bit as he sat down. “It’s...warm.”

Jack smirked. “They’re heated. What with you shivering and all, some improvements seemed necessary. It wasn’t hard to add.”

“You can do that by just typing?”

“Something like that. I’ll show you eventually.”

“Not knowing is sort of… Fun.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s like…” Daniel shrugged, coloring slightly. “Magic. I guess that’s a little stupid.”

“Not really,” Jack assured him. “But it’s not the greatest take on it. I mean,” he pressed Daniel back slightly against the seat, leaning over him and adjusting the straps. “Don’t get me wrong, precious. You have a sweet, strange notion of how things work. I’ve got nothing against that, but what I really did? The things I can really do? Are pretty fucking nifty. So I’ll explain. And I’ll appreciate you being able to appreciate what I did more thoroughly.”

Daniel thought of several things, most of them involving concerns or doubts about his ability to understand what Jack was capable of. He wasn’t sure what to say exactly. And even after Jack left him to get in the driver’s seat, Daniel could only stare at his hands wondering what to do.

“Is the idea that unappealing? Hm? Bullymong got your tongue?” Jack asked, brushing his fingers over Daniel’s chin. “You got such nice dark eyes. Look at me.” 

Daniel reluctantly looked up. 

Jack kept stroking Daniel’s jawline with one hand. He brushed his cheek with Daniel’s thumb. “What’s up, baby? Trying to come up with the right thing to say? Might as well let me hear the wrong thing. Quickest way to sort this shit out.”

Daniel sighed quietly. “I don’t know if it’s the wrong thing but I wouldn’t want to be a disappointment. I mean, I want to understand how things work. Like my ECHO device or whatever makes up tech like that. But I’m not sure I’ll ever actually be able to do much more than appreciate it.”

“Isn’t that what I said I wanted?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but--”

“But nothing, babe,” Jack said, not sounding angry. Not exactly. Maybe a little impatient. He brushed back Daniel’s hair and sighed. “That’s all I need you to be able to do. If you can manage more, that’s awesome. If you can’t, I’ll get by. What’s important is you understand that I say what I want and I get what I want. And besides… I don’t need you to do things for me. I hire people for that. Build robots for that. Or I do it myself.”

“Like with Helios?”

Jack blinked, expression softening as he went from irritated to pleased. He tugged Daniel closer, kissing his lips and brushing warm fingers over his neck. “You won’t disappoint me if you keep using that brain of yours. I told you, baby. You got good instincts. Keep using ‘em. And yes. It’s exactly like with Helios. Which is… right above us.” Jack moved away, pressing a button on the console. A panel slid back from the roof, revealing the sky. 

Daniel smiled, feeling slightly relieved. “Did you add this too?”

“The sun roof? Yeah. Again, no big thing. But Helios… That was a big deal. That was my pet project.” 

“It was?”

Jack smirked, revving the car’s engine. “Yeah. Before I got promoted to CEO. The position I have now. Worked as a programmer but I was the lead engineer for Helios. Supervised the construction. Wait til you see it.”

Daniel considered Jack. His smile. His mismatched eyes. His hair, which was mostly brown outside of one streak of grey. He wanted to touch him, but he wasn’t sure how. “Can it be soon?” he asked, settling for placing his hand over Jack’s and letting his fingers brush over the blue tattoo on his wrist.

“Soon enough,” Jack said, looking at Daniel’s hand. “Gotta get you on the right track and get a few things taken care of. Got less to do with you and more to do with how busy I am.” 

Jack looked up as he started driving. He seemed amused. “Which might be confusing because odds are you won’t see as much of that as I’d thought. Don’t pout, babe, I’ll get work for you but… Well, it won’t be what I originally had in mind.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I had some notions of what to do with you. Based on a few days of observation obviously. Sort of a wide range because you never know with people. Didn’t figure you’d be so clingy and such a good listener. So having you for breaks and downtime… Keeping you at the house so I have you to come home to... That works real well for me. And I don’t think the other options would have suited you.”

“I really like this one,” Daniel admitted. He wasn’t sure what the other options were, but he had a feeling they weren’t ones he would have wanted to know about. “And there won’t need to be others. I’ll be good.”

Jack rolled his eyes, patting Daniel’s arm absently. There was a long, loud screech and the flap of wings. Jack got rid of the sun roof and worked on splattering rakks against the windshield. “What the hell? For fuck’s sake. You can’t go two feet on this miserable planet without something begging you to put it out of its misery.”

“We’re near the nests,” Daniel pointed out. “They get like this. Stupidly territorial, I mean.”

“Seems to be a trend down here.”

“I could work on my aim and shoot at them.”

“Nah. Hold on.” Jack pressed a series of buttons. The roof panel slid closed and two turrets appeared above the headlights. They whirred into action, making short work of the flying monsters. As their bodies tumbled down to the ice, Jack pressed one of the pedals all the way to the floor with one sneaker, quickly running them over. 

“Dumbass things,” he muttered. He glanced over at Daniel. “Honestly, princess, what I’m doing here is trying to make sure you understand that part of the whole getting you from a bandit nobody to a pretty decent somebody is going to involve you sticking close to me. There’s not going to be any block of time where you’re just some low-level goon.”

“Low-level goon?” 

“A helper monkey,” Jack said, which actually didn’t clarify the matter at all. “Basically, you’re not getting weird errands or pointless jobs. There’s no fetch quests ahead of you. No weird assignments out in the middle of nowhere. I thought there would be so...congratulations.” 

“As long as I’m still helpful. You’re doing so much for me.”

Jack smirked. “Oh, I’ll get plenty out of you in no time. Already am in some ways.” 

They went past a Fast Travel point. On the other side of it were massive piles of junk and what looked like bodies. As they drove past, Daniel could see that they belonged to something that wasn’t human. They must have been robots then. They were small and box-shaped with one eye a piece. The colors seemed to vary. He wasn’t sure what it amounted to. 

“Claptraps,” Jack said with a shrug. “Bullshit product line I discontinued.”

“Oh. So this is the Wasteland part of the Arctic Wastelands?”

Jack chuckled. “Yeah, dunno what it used to be for but now it’s an all-purpose disposal site for Hyperion. Most settlements are like yours. Small, mean, and pointless. Remember the garden metaphor? Well, the reasonable approach doesn’t work out here. I don’t even try it anymore. Waste of energy. Instead I do some pretty aggressive weeding. Then clean-up begins. So we need somewhere to put all the debris and bodies while we spruce the place up. Not liking all of this clutter, but it’s out of the way.”

“Seems like a lot of work.”

“Micromanaging morons is a lot of work. Clearing out Pandora is a pleasure. Bandits need to understand that their welcome is up. That this planet and everything on or in it is mine. And there is nothing better than descending on a shitty town and watching it all go to hell,” Jack said with a satisfied grin. “But I don’t think you meant that part.”

“No. I meant the having to haul everything up here.”

“Not really. Robots are cheap labor, babe. What I’d like to do is make the process more stream-lined, but it’s not a big priority. I want better towns first. Places for people to start over. Sister cities for Opportunity. So once I civilize a bit more of Pandora, I’ll get a team together. Have them brainstorm a solution.” 

“I didn’t really clean up,” Daniel said thoughtfully.

“Huh?”

“When I dealt with… You know.”

“Ah. Right.” Jack shrugged. “Hardly matters. Now this next stop here… It’s gonna be fine. You might get a little spooked, but it’s fine.”

Daniel frowned. “What do you mean?”

Jack just smirked. “You’ll see.”

He drove a bit further, away from the trash heaps and towards a lot of yellow things. Loader Bots like in the picture. They seemed taller and stranger out in the snow. Towering over them was a… Daniel honestly wasn’t sure. It seemed like a giant Loader Bot but parts of it looked human. Smaller bots were hovering in the air, a stream of blue light connecting them to the giant figure. 

“Drones and Loader Bots,” Jack said as he pulled the car over. “And the big one’s Wilhelm.”

“You named a robot Wilhelm?”

Jack laughed. “That’s… You’re very cute. And often too. No. No, he’s not exactly a robot. Just mostly. It’s a combination of cybernetics and bone waste, babe. The bone waste happened first. Hence, as you bandits say, the cybernetics.”

“How does that work?”

“Well enough. You lose something, I guess, but Wilhelm didn’t have much to lose. Sort of always wanted things to be this way.”

Daniel looked out the car window, confused. Who would want to be mostly Loader Bot? But then bone waste wouldn’t have given him much of a choice. And yet watching the man stalk around on giant robot limbs… It made him uncomfortable.

“I thought bone waste… Can people survive that?”

“People can survive just about anything,” Jack said before getting out of the car. But his tone didn’t make it clear if he thought that was a good thing or not.

Daniel took a deep breath, still uncertain. He wasn’t sure how to pretend this was normal. And he imagined looking that way would bother any of the towering robots lurking outside.It also seemed like a bad idea considering that Jack had something going on with him too. And it wasn’t that Jack had a mask. The way his lips and cheek felt… That it wasn’t a mask. It was sort of like another set of skin which meant it was over something else. A large wound or scar? Or something worse.

Jack opened the door, unstrapping his belt and tilting his head curiously. “Hop on out, bunny, it’s all good. Look. What matters to me is that from top to bottom, Wilhelm is exactly what I need him to be. Reliable. Loyal. Terrifying. And fucking terrific at his job. What matters to you is he’s got no reason to hurt ya, pumpkin. You’re with me.”

Daniel climbed out of the car, letting a hand rest on Jack’s shoulder. “Did you… design him? No, that was stupid. Of course you did because he’s like the Loader Bots. Only not so... You modified it for him? The legs and everything?”

“It was a rushed job,” Jack said with a shrug. “Should have done better. But it’s a cross between Loader parts and the suits that Hyperion engineers use.”

Moving closer, Daniel could see Wilhelm was human from the waist up. His muscular arms were encased in larger, robotic arms with large metal fists. He could almost hover over the Loader Bots had they been close-by, but they seemed to be keeping their distance. 

Wilhelm lurched forward at first but his movements were not particularly clumsy. Just a bit slow. “Jack.” His tone was hard to read and a bit garbled. Really, it was the sort of voice Daniel would have expected from a robot. “You have arrived.”

Jack grinned. “Yeah, buddy. Cold enough for you?”

“No.”

Jack laughed. “Love this guy. So where are we at?”

Wilhelm leaned forward. Most of his face was impossible to make out. Lenses or goggles blocked his eyes. He smirked slightly. “Bandit detected. Should units move to engage?” he asked but he didn’t sound much of anything. 

“Yeah I figured I’d bring one bandit out here and have you guys act as the most expensive firing squad of all time,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “Just so we’re clear? That, boys, was sarcasm. And this,” he added, putting an arm on Daniel’s shoulder. “This isn’t a bandit. This is my new friend. Daniel.”

Wilhelm gritted his teeth. “I require no assistance.”

“Ah, ah. Play nice,” Jack insisted, sounding amused. “Say hello.”

Wilhelm grunted, leaning down again. “Hello, Daniel.”

Daniel made an effort to meet the man’s gaze. “Hello, Wilhelm.”

“Will his presence be necessary for this mission?”

“Of course not, dumbass,” Jack said. “He’ll stick around here.” 

The lens over Wilhelm’s eyes whirred slightly. One of the drones hovering above him, darted down, slowing just above Daniel. A green light ran a short scan and then the drone flew away. “Pandoran. Small. Quiet. He is armed. With your approval.”

“Obviously.”

“Will a unit be left for him?”

“In case all the Claptraps come back to life and annoy him to death? Actually, that would suck. Hey. Wanna leave one of your drones instead?”

“No.”

Jack grinned. “All right. The BUL Loader then. Too fucking slow anyway. And that unit is to look after him not to hurt him. Like I said. He’s a new friend. My friend. We don’t hurt my friends.”

Wilhelm made sort of sound Daniel couldn’t identify. It wasn’t exactly human. Maybe a robotic hum? “Agreeable.” 

“Oh wow what a relief,” Jack said. “Thanks for your permission to do the thing I was doing anyway.”

Another sound that was a cross between a hum and a chirp. “You can leave all of these units here. Assistance is not needed. I can do the tasks you set out for me. I am more than capable.”

“Might as well have the back-up,” Jack said. “Disposable reinforcements. But this job’s all me and you, sunshine. You’re my righteous fury, remember? You ready to haul that yellow ass out of here?”

“I am always ready.” Wilhelm shifted, turning away and stomping towards the smaller Loader Bots. “Goodbye, Daniel.”

“Goodbye.” Daniel turned to Jack. “What’s a BUL Loader look like?”

“Hey, you,” Jack called out, addressing several robots who all turned towards him at the same time. “Not you. The one with the shield. Yes. You. Stop pointing to yourself and get over here.”

All of the robots were significantly tall, but the one that with the shield was slightly larger than the rest. It moved to them, lumbering along slowly but with purpose. The yellow shield on its right arm and a sniper rifle was in its left hand. 

“Let’s hurry this up,” Jack suggested. “Show him what you can do.”

The BUL Loader stopped in front of them. Its red eye flashed a few times. The Loader Bot’s voice was low and a bit garbled just like Wilhelm’s. “Activating Combat Mode.” Then it closed in on itself and the shield expanded.

“See? Looks like a bulldozer. He won’t do that unless trouble shows up. Change back.”

The robot did so. “Unit is now in Standby Mode. Requests further instruction.”

“You’re staying here,” Jack said slowly and loudly. “Keep your optic sensor trained on this guy here,” he added, patting Daniel’s hair. “He can move. Let him wander around a bit but not too far.”

“Yes, Handsome Jack.” 

“Great. And you,” Jack said, tugging Daniel close. “Be good. I’ll be able to program him. Issues commands if I need to, but mostly this guy will follow your lead.”

“I don’t think I need a minder.”

“Always good to have one. Just keep it professional.”

Daniel laughed. “Professional?” 

“Don’t get cute and name the robot anything.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. And you. Loader Bot. He gets harmed? You’re gonna wanna take yourself out of commission before I get back. You will not want me to do it because it’ll hurt. A lot. Got me?”

The BUL Loader moved closer to Daniel. “Yes, Handsome Jack.”

“Great. I like when things are simple.” 

*

The BUL Loader was silent. Or, well, silent in that it did not talk. It clanked a bit over the snow as it followed Daniel around the edge of various dumpsites.

“I, um… I feel like I should say something,” Daniel admitted after a while. He glanced back over his shoulder.

The Loader Bot was eyeing him steadily. “Are you displeased?”

“No. Just...” Daniel wasn’t actually sure what to say. It was sort of difficult to go back to his own thoughts and to the quiet. Even if it was only temporary. He looked down at one of the piles of trash and small bots. One of them was green and wearing a little hat. Another was blue with a little silver badge painted on its chest. He noticed that something was sticking out of their chests. It must have been their hardware or their drives? “Do you know what Claptraps were for?”

“That product line has been discontinued.”

“Did yours replace it?”

The Loader Bot made a noise similar to the sort Wilhelm had made. “My product line is new and improved. It is a credit to Hyperion manufacturing. I am not a Claptrap unit.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Your apology is accepted.”

Daniel nodded, moving back towards the car. The sun had set and it was getting cold. He pulled the side door open and sat on a seat still facing the BUL Loader.

It swiveled away, inspecting the landscape. 

Daniel moved further into the vehicle, wishing he had a better grasp of the buttons on the terminal. “Does anything live out here?”

“No. But caution is advised. What are you attempting?”

“Last time I was in here, there was water. Somewhere.”

The Loader Bot moved closer. Its bulky frame couldn’t fit in the car but it seemed to be peering inside. Or maybe just scanning. “The silver button.”

Daniel smiled, quick to press the button and retrieve a chilled bottle. “Great.” 

The Loader Bot moved back. It set down its shield and lumbered to the back of the car. Once there, it opened the trunk and rummaged around for something. It returned with a protein bar.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“This unit was programmed remotely to retrieve this item. You are welcome, but gratitude is unnecessary. You are the task to which I have been assigned.”

“I get that a lot,” Daniel said.

“A joke,” the Loader Bot observed. 

“An attempt at one.”

“Yes. It was. I can recognize humor whether it is successful or not.”

Daniel laughed quietly. The robot wasn’t trying to be funny, Daniel knew that. But it sort of was. And that was sort of nice. Just as it was sort of sad knowing he’d be done with the robot entirely once Jack got back. “Will you be sent to Opportunity?”

“It is possible. It is preferable.”

“Where else could you go?”

The Loader Bot shrugged its metal frame. “This product line is dispatched to several key locations by the Hyperion Corporation. Opportunity is to be recommended to displaced humans who do not register as threats. This unit is authorized to provide these coordinates if requested. Other locations are not to be disclosed to civilians.”

“Is that what I am? A displaced human?”

“You are not a bandit.”

Daniel wondered if the Loader Bot thought being bandit was being as bad as a Claptrap or worse. He didn’t ask. Considering how the robots were sent to fight, the answer was probably obvious. “Do robots get cold?”

“No.”

It was hard to decide what else to do. He remembered Jack suggesting to keep things professional. The Loader Bot seemed willing to do the same. So Daniel moved further into the car, keeping the door open. “What controls the sun roof?”

“The gold button.”

“Thanks.” He stretched out over the seat, pressing the button and staring at the sky. 

The Loader Bot hunkered down slowly, facing away from the car.

Daniel considered it before looking at the stars. He wished they could talk more, but he had no idea what to say. He got the impression Jack saw robots as tools and he imagined most people would. Normal people anyway. 

He wasn’t sure if the others in his clan had seen robots or not. Most likely they had. If that many Claptraps had been destroyed, they must have been all over the place. And his clan had seen better days before the fascination with the Firehawk had caused so many problems.

He sighed, using his ECHO to figure out some of the constellations above him.

*

At some point, he must have fallen asleep. He woke up still on the backseat. One of the bed rolls had been placed over him and the car door had been closed. 

“Oh, man. That was so great. You. BUL Loader. Get on the transport. Got a lot of shit for you to clean up.”

“Prepping Corpse Disposal.”

“Yeah. That would be wise.”

Daniel sat up, shrugging off the bedroll and opening the door slightly. The BUL Loader was marching off. He felt a little bad not being able to say a goodbye, but then he wasn’t sure how much it mattered to the robot. The Loader Bot had done his job and now he was off to do another. Maybe that was just how robots worked. 

Jack pulled the door open the rest of the way. He was blood-splattered and smirking. “Anything I should worry about?” 

“Huh?”

“With the Loader Bot. What with your hard-on for Hyperion tech.”

Daniel laughed. “No. It was nice to have company though. And… you made him. It. And it talks and it... processes information. That’s really cool.”

“Glad we both had a good time.”

“Did you express your 'righteous fury?'”

Jack laughed. “I expressed myself all over the place. Not that it was much of a challenge. Wilhelm just stomps around and tears shit up while these morons run around in circles screeching. But it works. Less ugly, bad people looking to fuck up my plans is always good.”

Daniel huffed, trying a few buttons until he found the compartment where tissues were kept. “Come here please,” he suggested. 

Jack leaned in, resting his hands against the leather seats. “What’s up?”

“This,” he said, wiping at Jack’s cheek. “You’ve got ugly, bad people all over you.”

“Always a risk.”

“Seems like it.” Daniel concentrated on the blood smeared over Jack’s chin. “So… I missed you.”

Jack grinned. “Yeah?”

Daniel glanced up. “Yeah. It was too quiet. A lot less… I don’t know if 'fun' is the right word but something like that. Less good? Is that a thing?” 

“It’s a thing,” Jack murmured. “Gotta get you a new list. Something else is on your mind though. Let’s have it.”

Daniel smiled at Jack, brushing fingers over the lapel of his collared shirt. “All right. Is there any chance you’d send that Loader Bot to Opportunity?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I knew it. And that depends. Did you name the unit after I expressly told you not to?”

“No, I promise. It’s just he helped me. See?” Daniel pressed the silver button and picked up another water bottle. Then he pressed a gold button to open and close the sun roof. “I’m not sure what anything else does but… it’s a start.”

“Uh, no offense? But whoop-de-doo. You would have figured that out on your own,” Jack pointed out as he crossed his arms. “You’re not so dumb that you truly needed help with that.”

Daniel sighed, setting the water bottle down. “That’s true. But going to Opportunity... It seemed like a purpose he would like to have. As much as a robot can like anything? I guess?”

Jack laughed. “Oh, all right. Fine. He’ll go there after the clean up. I’ll ECHO Wilhelm. It’s as good a place for a BUL Loader as any.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, well… It’s been a productive day. I’m feeling generous. Plus it seems to be making you happy for whatever reason.”

Daniel smiled, moving to get out of the car. “Thank you.”

Jack helped him along then gently pushed Daniel against the side of the car. When Daniel’s back lightly came to rest against the cool metal, Jack kissed him. “You,” he said cheerfully, “are very welcome. And very, very cold,” he added kissing Daniel again and running his hands over the sleeves of his coat. Then over his shoulders.

Daniel sighed, leaning a bit against Jack. This time he kept looking at him though. He wanted to see what Jack was doing. “I’m less cold now.”

“See? Told you I’d take care of you,” Jack murmured, looking amused. “Wanna go home, snowflake?”

Daniel laughed, sincerely hoping that pet name wouldn’t stick. “Yes.”

*


	7. Chapter 7

*

When they got back to the turbomansion, Jack disappeared to take a shower. He came out of the bathroom wearing similar but less blood-splattered clothes. “I’ll figure out dinner while you take a bath. Then we’ll sort out the room situation.”

“The couch is fine.”

“At least you didn’t ask me if there’s enough hot water,” Jack said more to himself than to Daniel. “You’re not living on my couch,” he added. “Considering how often you crash I’m guessing you sleep when and where you can and usually like crap. A bed’ll fix that. Not that you would know since you’re used to sleeping on mounds of gravel and dead people and broken dreams. So just nod and agree.”

“All right.”

“Good. And let’s not make me repeat myself. Get going.”

Daniel sighed a little, but he went into the bathroom. The tub was already full. This time the water smelled like something soothing. Flowers maybe? It was frustrating to be able to place so many foul, unappealing odors and to have no idea what to make of something sweet and clean.

He stripped and got in the tub. After washing up, he leaned back, watching steam rise over the water. There wasn't anything really to think about at the moment, good or bad. It was sort of nice. 

Eventually, Daniel got out and dried off. The same outfit from the night before had been cleaned and ironed. Then folded up under his towel. He put it on quickly and padded out into the next room.

Jack was sitting on the couch, sneakers propped on the edge of the table as he ate his food.

“That smells good.”

Jack polished off his meal and took a minute before replying. “Cheeseburgers and fries are always good.”

“What sort of meat was that? Skag? Bullymong?” They’d killed a lot of them that afternoon. Maybe Jack had…

“What?” Jack made a face. “No. Do I look like I eat out of Dahl dumpsters? No no no. Nothing native to Pandora. This is from some happy farm on some happy planet way in the middle of a happy solar system. Or something. I don’t try to get too specific with what I eat.”

“People like that?”

“Yeah some people want to know a lot about what they’re eating. They want to know if their steak was named Pamela and what her favorite color was. Whether or not she died by her loved ones when she died. Hippie dippie nonsense that some farmer makes up so people feel better about themselves. I really don’t give a shit as long as it tastes good and expensive. This does.”

Daniel glanced down at the tray. “I don’t have one.”

“Brilliant observation, detective. You have soup. And grapes. And a banana. Don’t feel like you have to eat it all but give it a try. Oh and there’s pills.”

“Pills?”

Vitamins and supplements.” Jack pulled out several bottles, taking a pill out of each one and setting it on the tray. 

Each one was a different bright colored animal with a very cheerful smile. When Daniel prodded the one shaped like a horse with two horns on its forehead. It seemed to be slightly soft and squishy. 

“That’s a pandoracorn,” Jack explained.

Daniel shook his head. “Seriously?”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve never seen one since they don’t exist but generally speaking that’s the shape we’ve all agreed that they would have.” 

Daniel huffed. “Not about that,” he said, looking up at Jack. “I mean… the shapes.”

Jack grinned. “Yeah. Might have gone a little overboard with the requests here. But they gave me choices and I had no idea there were so many molds for vitamins. Plus this way you can tell them apart. You take all of them once a day and then the pandacorn a second time before bed. And it’ll be easy to remember because it’s got two horns.”

Daniel wanted to smile and he did manage a small one. But he felt a little annoyed about the whole thing. He wasn’t a child. He could handle regular vitamins and food. Sure, he’d never had vitamins before but they seemed pretty straightforward. “Isn’t this a bit childish? And kind of weird?”

“What part?”

“These guys.”

“They’re fun though.”

“I guess.”

“Hm.” Jack picked up the red one that was shaped like a teddy bear. “They’re sort of on the dopey side but I figured it would introduce the matter of you having a lot of vitamin deficiencies in a way that wouldn’t be scary.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Jack said. “So surprise. You have a lot of vitamin deficiencies.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what that means,” Daniel admitted.

Jack shrugged. “Basically you’re doing okay but… It’s the same deal as the sleeping thing. You weren’t eating right. Not exactly. So you need to sort of eat certain foods and have certain things. It just makes it easier for you to adjust to the whole being a person thing.”

Daniel sighed, feeling oddly guilty. 

“If you don’t like ‘em, I can get you the regular ones. They’re giant-sized and they taste like chalk.”

“I’d rather have the rainbow critters,” Daniel quietly replied.

“That’s what I thought.” 

“Sorry. That was… You were trying to be nice.”

“Hey, I succeeded,” Jack said, nudging Daniel’s shoulder. “You being a downer doesn’t make my efforts any less thoughtful. You wanna mope, that’s fine, but don’t piss all over the nice thing I did.”

Daniel smiled slightly. “Right. You did a nice thing for me. And I do appreciate it.”

“Good.” Jack put a hand around Daniel’s neck and lightly squeezing. “Look, you don’t have to be sorry. Just kinda assume I know what the fuck I’m doing. I thought that was the point.”

“It was. It is,” Daniel said, setting a hand on Jack’s leg. “Just I don’t want... I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Burden? No. Buzzkill? Yeah. Stop making such a big deal out of nothing. So you’re going to need some vitamins and a really small little diet. So what? You’re pretty easy to maintain. Or, trust me, I wouldn’t be maintaining you.”

“Couldn’t I eat the same thing as you though?” 

Jack shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Maybe it would be fine.” 

Jack snorted, sitting upright and setting his plate down. “Maybes don’t cut it, kiddo. Back on Pandora, you had a pretty steady diet of sadness with a side of leftover roadkill. We’ll ease into better things. And it’ll happen, baby. No one should be deprived cheeseburgers and pizza and junk food forever. Just get used to the basic food groups.”

“All right.”

“Your soup’s gonna get cold. Want me to feed you?”

Daniel chuckled. “No. I can manage that.”

“Well, get to it. Food and vitamins. And I’m going to show you how to get food tomorrow before I head out. You can’t only eat when I’m around, which I might forget if I’m at work. Like I said. Maintaining things… Not so great at that.”

It was a bit of a relief, really. Daniel didn’t really like the idea of having someone waiting on him at all times, and he could tell it wasn’t high on Jack’s priority list. “But you’ll come back? When you remember, I mean?”

Jack laughed. “Oh my god how old do you think I am? When I remember. Thanks a lot, jerk.” But all the same he seemed amused. When Daniel just eyed him uncertainly, he smirked.  
Daniel smiled back.

“I’m going to take good care of you,” Jack said, carding the fingers of one hand through Daniel’s hair. “But that doesn’t mean you have to rely entirely on me. That would suck. So you have to be able to fend for yourself every now and then.”

“Right. And I want to be able to look after myself.”

“I know.” Jack brushed a few fingers over Daniel’s cheek. “That’s good, but part of being good? Is doing what I say. I told you I know what I’m doing.”

“I believe you.”

“So when we’re together, let me figure things out. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now seriously eat or I’ll steal your soup.”

“That seems cruel. I’m vitamin deficiency.”

Jack laughed. “Oh, baby, no. That’s close and all but you’re _deficient_. That’s a thing you are. A deficiency is a thing you have.”

Daniel colored slightly. “Right.” 

Jack ruffled his hair and stretched out on the couch. He pulled out a remote, turned on a screen, and found another remote. This one he used to start up… Daniel wasn’t sure, but suddenly there were angry-looking holographic men fighting one another in an arena.

“You’re not eating,” Jack said cheerfully without looking at Daniel. “If you eat, maybe I’ll explain.”

Daniel worked on the soup, which seemed to mainly be of vegetables. He had a small piece of the toast next to the bowl. Then he ate as much of the fruit as he could before taking the vitamins.

“Have water with those, babe. It’s in the kitchen. The cold place.”

“The refrigeration unit, right?”

“Yeah. Good memory.”

Daniel went into the kitchen, flinching as he snagged a water bottle. He came back to the couch, sitting down closer to Jack who absently put an arm around him. He took the pills, chewing them and finding the flavor tolerable. There was still food left on his plate. It seemed a bit wasteful.

“There’s grapes left over. Did you want some?”

“Hm? No, I’m good.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Jack mashed some buttons, scowling at the screen. It went black and he glanced over. “All right. Now I’m curious. Why wouldn’t I be sure?”

“If all you had was something full of meat and cheese and bread… Don’t you need fruit too?”

“I had fries. Potatoes.”

“They didn’t look a lot like potatoes.”

Jack grinned. “Got me there. Wait. Are... you trying to look after me? You are, aren’t you? That’s fucking adorable.”

Daniel colored slightly. He wasn’t completely sure why. 

“And now you’re all coy and confused. That’s good. I’m liking that,” Jack said, setting down the remote and turning the screen off with the other one. He leaned in, kissing the side of Daniel’s neck. “I think I’ll take some grapes. Here’s the thing though. If you want to look after me, you should feed me.”

“Feed you?”

“Yeah. Get a bunch and turn towards me.”

“A bunch is… How much is that?”

“You are so new at this,” Jack said, but he didn’t sound disappointed. “It’s sort of fascinating. Pick up a vine. The brown tangly bit holding them together.”

Daniel selected a small group of grapes. He turned around, trying to decide how Jack felt about how things were going. “You… Is it good?”

“The grapes or to be new at things?”

“Both, I guess.”

“Both are good, you little worrywart. Turn around.” When he wasn’t quick enough. Jack tugged him closer and moved his shoulders. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Jack slouched a bit and grinned. “Bring ‘em over. Wanna dangle ‘em or give it to me one at a time?”

“What would you prefer?”

“It’s all good, baby. You pick.”

Daniel plucked a grape off of the vine.

“That means you bring your fingers over here,” Jack said pointing to his lips. “Lean over me a bit. No, no. Close the gap. You can touch me, remember?”

Daniel moved closer, kneeling as he leaned in.

“There you go. That’s the way,” Jack said, looking amused but also encouraging. “You can’t do this wrong. Well, you could but… You’d have to punch me in the mouth or nose or something. Don’t do that, by the way. I have a certain reaction to that. And now you’re nervous.” 

Daniel scowled. “Whose fault is that?”

“Yours,” Jack said. “Here.” He put his fingers around Daniel’s wrist, pulling his hand closer. He leaned up, licking Daniel’s thumb before taking the grape. “There. Easy peasy. Try it without help. I’ll just be here waiting for to be fed.”

Daniel smiled. “Okay.” He plucked off another grape, mimicking his previous gesture and biting his lip when Jack took his time licking and letting his teeth graze over the skin between Daniel’s thumb and finger. 

Jack ate the grape slowly, rolling it around in his mouth before finishing it. “And this makes you happy as a clam. You didn’t do this for someone else, right?”

“No. Who would I have done it for?”

“Good point. See that this stays a thing that you and me do, okay, precious?”

“I don’t think I’ll get many offers.”

“I think you’d be surprised. Grape.”

Daniel laughed before supplying one.

“I stand by what I said about an owner’s manual. I could use one for you.”

“Or you could ask.”

“I could but at this point? I don’t know. Might spoil the surprises. Like this.” Jack shook his head. “Would have thought I’d have to coax you a bit more first. Grape me.”

They stayed like that until the grapes were gone. Daniel suspected Jack was eating them less out of active interest and more because… “Is feeding someone grapes a thing?”

“Uh… Unless I hallucinated the last fifteen minutes? Yeah, it is a thing. We just did it.”

“No, I mean… I don’t know the word.”

“A kink?” Jack laughed. “No. Not really. Not for me. But I like you being like this. And I like having an excuse to get your fingers in my mouth. Which you enjoyed.”

“I did.”

“So it’s all good.” Jack stretched, sitting upright and patting the cushion next to him. “Wash your hands off and come here.”

Daniel went to the bathroom and washed his hands. When he returned, he was a bit surprised to find Jack was just waiting for him instead of going back to his screen. Daniel sat next to him, pleased when Jack tugged him close, putting an arm around his neck and shoulders. “What about you were doing before?”

“The game? Eh, it’s fine. It’s just a thing to pass time on.”

“How does it work?” 

Jack shrugged. “Just a fighting game. I can download you a copy if you really want. Basically you have these characters do special attacks and beat the shit out of each other.”

“What’s the point?”

“To straight up murder the other guy. But it’s kind of… No, it’s definitely unsatisfying. The real thing’s better. Again, doesn’t matter. The way I see it, the fighting game didn’t feed me grapes. Plus you smell good.”

“It’s from the water.”

Jack sighed, sniffing Daniel’s neck. “For fuck’s sake, kiddo. It’s like you never met a compliment you didn’t turn down.”

“The first part of that is true.”

Jack made a sound that resembled static. “Sad sob story requesting permission to annoy. Roger that, sad sob story, you have permission.”

Daniel laughed. “But it’s true.”

“Don’t care,” Jack pointed out. “Compliments are gonna happen some of the time. Learn to handle ‘em or you won’t get ‘em. You are,” he began, licking at Daniel’s neck until Daniel laughed again, “perfectly capable of having a good time. And I’m going to get one out of you whenever I want.”

“That seems likely.”

“What’s this? No objections? Halle-fucking-lujah.”

“You say that but you’re… You’re very patient,” Daniel said, brushing fingers over Jack’s cheek.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’re welcome because it’s a lot of effort. But I have the incentive. I’m expecting one hell of a reward. Just, you know, not gonna collect it yet. Let’s go bed hunting.”

“You have more work.”

Jack laughed, pushing Daniel away and getting to his feet. “I know you missed all the signs about me and the posters and the fights and the victories and the unconditional surrendering? But most people on Pandora did not. Are your stupid-ass former neighbors failing to recognize me and all the good I’m trying to accomplish? Sure. But that just makes it easier to do what has to be done.”

“Don’t people decide… to work with you?”

“Not as often as you’d think.”

Daniel frowned. He could believe it, of course, but… “That seems strange. I know that some of them you just wouldn’t be able to get through to at all. But surely some of the more normal people--”

Jack grunted. “The more normal people are even more of a problem. Normal people have needs and opinions and concerns and arguments and bratty kids and lists of grievances. And poorly concealed pistols and rocket launchers. They’re always getting in my fucking way. Sometimes it’s just easier to shoot ‘em.”

“Before they can shoot you,” Daniel said. 

That made some sense. Trying to reason with someone by insisting they put their weapons down seemed sort of foolish. Very few Pandorans were going to turn over a weapon just to be heard. Not all of their weapons anyway. And discovering the person you were trying to get through to was armed and debating taking you out with their weapon of choice… He imagined an outsider would have to learn to fire first and hope someone bled out slow enough to answer a question. 

It ought to have been different though. With the settlements or with the people who had come to Pandora from some of the Edens. But it didn’t sound like it was.

“Exactly. Armed and stubborn is my least favorite type of stupid. And most Pandorans are so goddamn resistant to change. At least the psychos and maniacs and marauders and whatever the fuck have the courtesy to blow themselves up. How do you deal with being saddled with people like that? Can you get through to people like that?”

Daniel shrugged. “If you listen to them, there’s a pattern to it. A sort of flow. I’m not sure they get how permanent death is but… they understand who is a friend and an enemy. Anyone who isn’t part of their camp or clan is the enemy. It was the same for the rest of us. In a way. There was a lot of fighting. Over loot or food or...anything, really.”

“Do you ever wonder why you’re all so bat-shit insane? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It varies, sure. But what causes it?”

Daniel sighed heavily. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to be like that.”

“You won’t wind up like that if you follow my lead. I meant what I said about changing your bandit mindset. You don’t need a herd of crazy people to feel secure. You got me now.”

Daniel nodded thoughtfully. “I never felt secure,” he admitted. “Or safe. It’s hard to get used to it.”

“Hate to break it to you, tiger, but that much is really, really obvious. The best way to get used to something is exposure to it. So let’s shove you in a nice room with all sorts of expensive, awesome shit and see how you do.”

Daniel huffed. “Is that how it works?” 

“To a degree. Now come on. Gotta get you settled.”

*

All of the rooms they passed by were large enough to be intimidating. Thankfully Daniel wasn’t shown too many of them. The room he ended up in, he suspected, was one Jack had already decided was his.

The walls were a pale yellow and there was a large painting covering one of them. It was a different one than he’d seen before. A sort of bland-looking desert was in the background. Jack was standing on a small rocky ledge with the sun directly behind his head. It gave the effect of a ring of light around him. His pose was confident and he was holding a large pistol.

“This one’s nice,” Daniel said, moving closer to look at the plaque. _The Man, The Myth, The Legend_. “Why do you have so many of these?”

“Why not?” Jack asked, sounding amused. “Maybe I had this one commissioned for you. In case you forget what I look like.”

Daniel smiled. “I don’t think that’s a problem.”

“You want more of ‘em? One for each wall?”

“What about the ceiling?”

“Well... I could paint the ceiling to look like the night sky and make a really big constellation in the middle that looks like me.”

“That um… That sounds like a lot of work.”

Jack grinned. “Oh, I’d hire someone to do it. But that’s sweet. And I know what you’re really thinking.”

“What am I really thinking?”

“Why didn’t he just do that already?”

Daniel smiled. “I did wonder that,” he said with a casual shrug. “But I think you realized that too much would just be upsetting and that’s why I just have the one painting.”

“Is that why?”

“Yes.” Daniel moved closer, brushing a hand over Jack’s shirt. “You knew having so many pictures of you would just make me miss the real thing.”

Jack laughed. “It’s cute you think I mind if you pine for me. And somehow you think I’m joking.”

Daniel shook his head. “I would hope you didn’t mind me pining, Jack. Because it’s going to happen.” 

“That’s the nice thing about you. You make an effort to be clever and tactful. All right. You can have your three walls of nothing. But the ceiling needs a little something something. Maybe a mirror? I’ll figure it out later. Or it might not matter for long. What with you craving the real thing and all.”

“That’s fine,” Daniel assured him. “I wouldn’t mind the star idea if you’re dead set on it. What else is on this floor?”

“There’s a bathroom right through the door on the left. A kitchen down the hall but I’d prefer you used the one downstairs. And a library across from you. You’ll be putting that to use tomorrow. Gotta learn to read.”

“I know how to. Sort of. Really, it’s the spelling I’m not good at.”

“We still need to figure out where you’re at reading-wise. And don’t get weird about it. As far as I’m concerned you learning this stuff is helping me out. Part of you becoming more than a miserable excuse for a bandit.”

“I understand.”

“Awesome. Because the faster you can do this, the happier I’ll be. And if you can do it on your own without me having to smile and nod about every little minor thing you do, that would be great. I mean, we’ll review your progress and I’ll monitor you if you want, but I need you to do this. You can do this, right?”

“Of course I can. I’d like to.” 

“Good. So how this’ll work when I’m not here? Is that you’re restricted to floors you’re familiar with. The range is on Six. The room we’ve been in the most is on One. Your room is on Four. The places I don’t want you to go just won’t be available to you. You’ll see ‘em all eventually.”

“And there will be another list?”

Jack snorted. He moved closer and ruffled Daniel’s hair. “Yes, there will be another list. You’re not even concerned, are you?”

“About what?”

“Only getting so many rooms or floors or places to be.”

Daniel smiled. “But it’s not like that. Three floors are a lot to give someone. It seems very generous.”

Jack studied Daniel carefully before smiling back. “You’re so easy about some things,” he said giving Daniel a kiss. “It’s good. Very good. Keep doing that. And get some sleep.”

“All right. Good night, Jack.”

“Night. I’ll wake you up in the morning.”

*


	8. Chapter 8

*  


The list Daniel got the next morning was similar to the previous day’s and throughout the week it didn’t change much. **Eat. Shower. Change Clothes. Read. Target Practice. Eat Again.**

He got different t-shirts and slightly different jeans, of course. Meals stayed the same, but he learned to make them for himself. And aspects of his tasks shifted and changed on daily basis. The books he was expected to read went from flat-out insultingly simple to easy then to vaguely challenging. His time spent on the gun range involved learning the different range guns were suitable for and ways to cut down on the reload time for sniper rifles and shotguns.

The evenings stayed the same in some ways, but without any odd little adventures which Daniel privately felt was too bad. 

At the end of the week, there wasn’t a new list. Instead of leaving, Jack lingered at home, making breakfast and drinking more coffee than Daniel suspected was wise.

“No work?” Daniel asked hopefully.

“I take weekends off. Sit down. Food’s coming in just a second here. Got a busy day planned.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s been a week and you’ve been a good little trigger-happy bookworm. You ought to have a little test.” He set two plates down and then sat across from Daniel. “Eggs and toast. And bacon for me. Now, I know what you’re thinking. I promised not to come up with errands or find pointless ways to waste your time.”

Daniel shook his head. “I don’t think it would be pointless. Not if it’s what you want.”

“And?”

Daniel colored slightly. “And I imagine I’ll get something nice out of it anyway?”

Jack smirked. “You’d be right. Eat up then you’ll pick out two weapons. You want one to do shock damage. These guys will have shields. There’s no ammo restrictions so load up. And be smart about your grenade mod.”

Daniel frowned. “But… I thought this was a test.”

“You don’t like hints, cupcake?”

“No. Er. That is, thank you for them, of course... But I can do things. I can do this and show you that I’m capable.”

Jack looked vaguely irritated. “Yeah? Want me to keep the scouting intel then?”

“No I… I’ll need that. I think. But I could try going in there and just... ”

“Wing it?” Jack snorted. “As tempting as it is to let you learn a lesson the hard way... Daniel, I’m trying to set you up for success here. Not failure. This isn’t some pop quiz. We’re not cheating by talking things over. Advice and hints? That’s a good thing. It means I think you ought to know what you’re getting into. What you’re going up against. The day I stop giving them to you? _That_ is when you should worry.”

“Oh.”

“Which isn’t to say you should worry now, dumb dumb,” Jack said, sounding amused. “Geez. You suck all the fun out of giving you a hard time. Look. Dollface. You are going to have your work cut out for you, but I want to see you do well. Don’t you? Don’t you want me to be proud with how you perform?”

“Well, of course…”

Jack snapped off a piece of bacon and chewed it briskly. “Then prove it. Take the hints and run with ‘em. And when you find yourself in a position to thank me? Baby, you better learn to just thank me. I don’t want to play Twenty Questions every goddamn time.”

“Right.” 

Daniel turned his focus to eating the food on his place. He wasn’t sure what Twenty Questions was, but he did understand he was trying Jack’s patience. He suspected it was less the questions and more Daniel’s reluctance to accept what Jack offered. It seemed the same with words as with objects. Jack wanted them to be savored and enjoyed. 

“Don’t get like that. I’m annoyed, sure, but I’m not mad at you,” Jack said after a moment. “I don’t want you to stop being curious. That’s the whole point of what you’ve been doing. I don’t need a sad little pet who only says yes and no when I talk to it. I want you to have a good time and be good. So today is gonna be awesome. You’re gonna to do a fan-fucking-tastic job. And when you’re killing those fucking savages, I won’t be thinking about how I gave you a handful of protips. I’ll be thinking about how hot you look wearing my clothes and killing my problems. Because that’s what you’re doing.”

Daniel looked up, feeling a little nervous. “Really?”

Jack leaned forward. “Oh yeah,” he murmured. “Of course, kid. And when you’re covered in their blood and all of ‘em are out of my hair for good? I’m going to be really, really appreciative. And you’re going to get one hell of a reward, honey. That’s all that matters. You can see that, right?”

Daniel smiled shyly, shifting slightly in his seat. “Oh. Okay. I can do that. For you.”

Jack patted his cheek then stroked a thumb over his lips. “And I like how you look right now. See, goofball? When you calm down and think about it? It’s all good. You said it yourself. You know how to have fun if I show you how. So be a peach, sugarplum, and have fun today. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good boy. You’re going to like what I got you,” Jack said, sounding amused. “And here’s another hint. It’s more than one thing. Haven’t given you much lately.”

Daniel put his hand lightly on Jack’s fingers. “Just… Well, just getting to be with you… That’s been… I’ve enjoyed that. And I’m sure what you got me is great. And I know I’ll be appreciative too.”

“Mmhm. Well, it doesn’t take much to get you acting weird. But it also doesn’t actually take much to make you happy. That’s what makes you easy to put up with,” Jack said. He still sounded amused but he also sounded pleased. He let Daniel hold onto him briefly and then he moved his hand away. “Most of the time.”

“I’ll get better.”

Jack got up, putting their plates in the sink. When he circled back to the table, he turned Daniel’s chair around and kissed him. “You will.”

*

As surprised as Daniel had been to discover so much of Pandora was ice and snow, he remained even more surprised by how many parts of Pandora were green.

He kept himself from fidgeting or sighing as Jack examined his weapons. He had a feeling Jack was going slow on purpose.

“I’m switching this one out,” Jack said, picking up Daniel’s SMG. “With this.” He opened a small, glittering chest and pulled out another submachine gun.

Daniel took the new gun he was handed, frowning. “It’s pink.” Or rather it ranked as whatever pink was. The actual gun was black, blue, grey, and white, each color bleeding into the next. His ECHO informed him it was Hyperion and called the Rightsizing Actualizer. “And it costs 120 crystals?”

“Seraph. Sort of like unique and legendary at the same time. Hard to get.”

“Normal damage?” 

Jack grinned. “I figured you’d go with a sniper rifle that does shock damage.”

“I like sniper rifles.”

“Just remember they’re for stealth not for having something larger to whack a badass with. If you remember you have one. Which I’m doubting considering how you’re all but making out with that Seraph.”

“I should do that. I love this gun,” Daniel said, examining it. He smiled at Jack. “I’m not giving this back to you because it’s mine now. But… You don’t want to get to know me better before you give me this?”

Jack shook his head. “That’s not how this sort of thing works.”

“No.”

“No. It’s the opposite. I gotta give you the gun so I get to know you better. So you want me to get to know you better.”

“I want that already.”

“That’s because you’re so good,” Jack said. “But, come on, baby. Haven’t you always wanted to feel like you’re worth exactly one hundred twenty sparkly, virtually impossible to obtain crystals?”

Daniel laughed, holstering the gun and moving over to him. “Not exactly but I should have. And I do now. Thank you.”

“Anything else to add?”

Daniel shook his head. “Just thank you.”

“I’ll have to give you guns more often. Now give me a kiss and then kill a lot of people.”

It was always slightly difficult to tell how much touching Jack would allow. At the moment, it seemed like he’d tolerate it if he didn’t completely appreciate it so Daniel took advantage of that, kissing him and putting his arms around his neck.

“Thank you,” he said before kissing him again. He didn’t want to ruin the moment by saying anything else.

Jack kissed back, biting lightly at Daniel’s lips before pulling back. “No more until you give me what I want,” he suggested with a wink. “Which is a heap of dead people. So off you get.” And when Daniel didn’t immediately get moving, he slapped his backside.

Daniel rolled his eyes, amused since he was used to it by now. He nodded, getting his sniper rifle out and heading to a bluff near the outpost. He wanted to rush in, charge them. He knew it wasn’t the best tactic but it was one he’d seen the most. There was a satisfaction in using your hands. He’d felt that before. Head shots though… They felt the same way just without the mess. 

He only wish it was easier to use one bullet per person. He had to wear shields down first though and after clearing out several marauders, he had to move closer and switch to the Actualizer. And grenades.

In terms of the grenade mod, Daniel had gone with slag even though shock might have been slightly better. But slag wasn’t a bad option. He liked the way it turned people purple and made the damage more significant.

He used cover as much as he could, gathering up ammo from loot crates when he had to wait for his shield to recharge. He wondered at one point if his ECHO device was keeping track of the bullets he’d been able to avoid, but beyond that he focused on the fight.

It was fairly one-sided. The people he was up against all attacked in a similar way and it was a pattern he was familiar with. He hadn’t thought about the advantage that would give him. He imagined Jack had.

Only the leader was able to actually hit him and that was because he was using buzz axe blades like throwing stars. It had been unexpected. At least they were smaller than the ones put on the buzz-axes that psychos normally used. 

While Daniel ducked most of them, one of the larger circular blades clipped the side of his head, drawing blood. 

He ought to have stuck with the guns but he wanted to pay the guy back the same way. So Daniel pulled out a knife instead, shrugging off the holsters for his guns when they got in his way.

The bandit leader ran out of blades to throw around the second time he’d been stabbed. 

Daniel finished him off a knife to his throat and then, after crouching down and peeling back the leader’s mask, a bullet under his eye. 

He wiped his knife off on the grass, rising to his feet as he heard the faint whistling and whirring sound of Loader Bots. HOT Loaders, his ECHO explained. They were bright red and orange. 

One of them seemed to stare at him. “Ready to increase temperatures.”

A larger with twin autocannons Loader made a rumbling noise and said, “No no no. This human is not to be harmed.” It swiveled slightly, facing Daniel, its red eye zooming in and clicking slightly. “You are to evacuate, human. Hyperion values your cooperation.”

“Thanks.”

And then the Loader Bots moved on. Daniel stood there and watched them for a little bit as they began setting houses on fire. 

Eventually his ECHO chirped. “Uh, any chance you can stop watching the damned robots and get back here? To me. I’m way more interesting than those guys.”

“Right.” Daniel gathered up his weapons and hurried up the hill. “Sorry.”

“Uh huh. Well, here’s another bit of advice. When everything around you is on fire, you might want to consider leaving anyway.” Jack gestured him closer, opening and closing his hand. “Come over here.”

Daniel walked over, smiling when Jack brushed a finger over the cut on his temple. “Did I do good?”

“Until the end there? Yeah. You did good. And you were smart about it. You wanted to rush ‘em but you didn’t.”

“I guess not all of my instincts are right?”

Jack grinned. “Nah. You just need to develop a range of responses. You’re not a one-hit wonder like other bandits or robots. You have to adapt to situations. Know what a time and place and situation requires.”

“I can do that.”

“You _are_ doing that, baby,” Jack corrected, patting Daniel’s cheek. He handed him a hypo and moved towards the car. “And you did just fine.” 

Daniel quickly injected the needle into his left arm and tossed it aside. “Fine enough to get another kiss?”

Jack glanced back and snorted. “Yeah, sure. Come get one.”

Daniel didn’t need more prompting than that. And he was pleased when Jack set his hands on his shoulders, brushing his knuckles over Daniel’s skin. Then digging in a bit more at the back of Daniel’s neck. 

“Good?”

“Mm.” Daniel lowered his head to allow Jack better access. “Yes.”

“I like how you couldn’t resist playing with your food at the end there.”

Daniel laughed. “Is that what I did?”

“Yeah. No way it needed to take that long but you know… I get it. You wanted to take him out with a blade.”

“Seemed fitting, you know.”

“I do. And you remembered to check.”

“You said to.”

“I know. You memorize everything I say,” Jack said, sounding pleased, “but that’s probably the most important thing I’ll ever tell you. If you want someone dead, make damn sure of it. Waste as much ammo as you need to to feel confident that the fucker lying at your feet isn’t going to move again. Or soon enough you’ll get fucked over yourself.”

There was something about his tone that made it clear he was to be obeyed on this, and Daniel couldn’t see the problem with that. It seemed correct if a little obvious. The sort of thing you were meant to do on Pandora. If someone wanted to kill you, you killed them. And if you didn’t kill someone properly, they’d kill you and you’d deserve it.

“Do...people not do that?” Daniel asked.

“You’d be surprised.”

“You do that though."

“Yeah."

Daniel glanced up and smiled. Jack’s expression was hard to interpret. Slightly grim and angry but not at the same time. “That’s good. Isn’t it?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah it is. Let’s go home. I promised you presents.”

“I want them,” Daniel admitted. “But I can keep the gun. right?”

Jack seemed to shake off whatever he’d been thinking about as he chuckled. He shook his head and ruffled Daniel’s hair. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll keep the gun, nutcase. Just maybe show it a little less affection than you do me, huh?”

“That won’t be hard.”

“No?”

“No. I’m sure you’re worth at least five hundred crystals.”

Jack barked out a laugh. “Five hundred? Seriously? Geez. No way. I’m more like five thousand.” 

Daniel winced, feeling guilty almost immediately. “Oh. I… I guess I didn’t think of a high enough number. Still, um… Still learning to count and all?”

Jack barked out a laugh, tugging Daniel closer and kissing him. “Oh my god,” he said, looking amused. “You can add ‘con artist’ to the list of things you suck at, Daniel, because that… Oh man. You are precious and misguided. You can’t try that _now_. Not when I already know it’s bullshit.”

“Still. I didn’t mean it as an insult. I wouldn’t do that, Jack. Honestly.”

Jack smirked. “Oh, baby. I know that,” he said, slinging an arm around Daniel’s shoulders. Then he began herding Daniel towards the car. “Hell, it’s not like you know how the Seraph rating system works. And unlike you? I can take a compliment. Plus you’re cute so that’s all right.” 

“And I did kill a lot of people for you.”

“Yes, you did.”

*

“Sit down, tiger,” Jack said, pointing to the couch. “Take a load off.” He left the room, moving into his office and returning with a few boxes.

“This is...all for me?”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Jack said, setting one box down. “This one’s not exciting. Boxers and pants and stuff. This one is collared shirts. Eh, little more exciting not by much.” He set the next box down but he opened the lid so Daniel could see the contents. 

“Can I… That is, at night…”

Jack laughed. “Oh, you can keep the shirt and boxers and everything, cupcake. I figured you wouldn’t want a pajama upgrade.”

“Not really.”

“Great. Now this one is slightly more interesting. Wanna open it?”

“Sure.” Daniel took the box, opening it slowly. It was a set of vests. Two were silky with stripes, gold fabric and embroidery. One had six buttons in a row. The other was double-breasted and had a gold chain. The other was leather and plainer but soft as well. “Jack…”

“It’s your size. Perks of the scan from a week ago,” Jack explained. “And you’re not gonna be able to look up the cost. Got ‘em from a tailor and they’re custom-made. Can’t find anything like ‘em in a loot chest or off a dead bad guy.”

“They’re… Um.” Daniel brushed a finger over the fabric, thankful he’d washed up before letting Jack give him gifts. “Your colors.”

“Our favorite colors,” Jack cheerfully replied. 

t“Of course. They’re… really nice.”

“A step up from burlap and old faded tees,” Jack agreed. “And the best part is you’ll look really, really good in them. Here.”

The next box was half the size of the others. It held strips of fabric that ended in a point. One gold, one black, one striped. 

“Ties,” Jack explained. “And probably your favorite part of it.”

The last box was the smallest.

It held… Daniel wasn’t entirely sure what. It was small and gold. On it was an H and there was a small diamond underneath the letter. And then a small chain.

“A tie pin. For formal stuff. You don’t have to bother with it most days. You’ll lose that little thing beating someone up. Or when I take the tie off.”

“I don’t… I’ve never worn one. A tie, I mean.”

“No kidding,” Jack said. “It’s fine, princess. First time for everything. You’ll look great. Next week, I wanna show you off and show off Helios to you. Oh hey. One more thing.”

“After that can you sit down?”

Jack grinned. “Yeah? Lonely without me?”

Daniel laughed. “Um. Something like that. This is all… It’s… So nice. I don’t...”

Jack ruffled his hair. “Again, you’ll look nice in it. That’s the point. That’s the part I’m interested in. Money’s a big deal for you. But it’s not for me. Money’s just money. Gotta spend it to earn it. I’ll be right back.”

He returned with a jacket draped over his arm. “Now this looks and it’ll feel like leather. But it’s actually synthetic. It’s a lightweight weave too but it’s actually based on crystalisk hide or armor or what the hell ever.”

“A crystalisk?”

“You make me feel like I’ve got a degree in Pandoran zoology,” Jack muttered. “They’re hulking monsters that live in caves and they have crystals on all three of their legs. You have to hit the crystals to kill ‘em and then they sort of explode showering their killers in riches. It’s pretty awesome.”

“But that’s not how you get Seraph guns.”

“Might never see you again if I tell you how to get Seraph guns.”

Daniel laughed. “If I was stupid, maybe. I mean, I wouldn’t even know they existed if you weren’t around. And… It seems like the easiest way to get them is to stay with you. Not that I’m staying for the guns but...It’s a way.”

Jack blinked then grinned. “Yeah. It’s the best way. Do that then.” He handed Daniel the jacket. “You can try to remember to wear this when you’re stabbing your enemies to death instead of minding your shield. Do me a favor and if there’s issues with it, let me know. This is a prototype.”

Daniel tilted his head.

“Oh. Right. Uh. It’s like a unique weapon. Only my company can use a prototype to decide if we manufacture more or not. Thing is, I’m not really into the recycling the features of Pandora’s creatures. Which... rhymes. Didn’t mean for it to. Anyway, I’m not really interested in armor for people. If it can be used for a BUL Loader shield? Great. If not, don’t care. So you’ll have the only one. And look. It’s got the logo and everything on the back.”

Daniel turned the jacket over, tracing the letters. “Hyperion.”

“So you’re all set to be eye candy,” Jack said, sitting down on the couch. Finally. “Lucky you.”

“Lucky me,” Daniel quietly agreed. He set the jacket down carefully and then the boxes. Then he shifted closer to Jack. “Thank you,” he said in the same quiet way he’d said the name of Jack’s company. “I just… I wish there was a way I could show you how… I mean, there is… But I don’t...”

“Hey, hey, hey. I get it, newbie. Relax. You can express the gratitude in another way soon,” Jack soothingly pointed out. He patted Daniel’s knee before setting a hand on Daniel’s thigh. “Doesn’t have to be this second. Told you. I can be patient when I’m motivated.” 

“So far?” 

Jack kissed Daniel’s cheek, tugging him into his lap. “So far? You little pessimist. 'So far' has got nothing to do with it. I’m plenty motivated. And eventually you’re going to be way more certain you need me. Badly.”

“But I do need you.”

Jack chuckled, but the laughter sounded more fond than mocking. “Yeah, but I mean in other ways. Not just in this clingy little caterpillar way of yours.”

“You don’t mind.”

Jack shrugged, looking amused. “Could be worse.” 

“Oh. Good. Um. What’s ‘eye candy’ though?”

Jack laughed. “Never you mind, kiddo. I’ll explain later. You want more gifts?”

Daniel shook his head, brushing his fingers over Jack’s collared shirt. Jack had abandoned most of his layers once they’d gotten home. He’d lost the jacket and the vest. He had a collared shirt. Maybe a t-shirt underneath it.

"No?"

Daniel let his fingers curl in on themselves, stroking his knuckles over Jack’s cheek. He uncurled his fingers, letting them brush lightly over Jack’s hair, careful not to rearrange even a strand of it. “Thank you, no. And just… thank you, Jack.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just you.”

Jack’s expression turned smug. “Mmhm. Figured as much. Then my work here is done.” He got up to leave and laughed when Daniel tugged him back down. “But I guess I can stay.”

“Should I motivate you?”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“So you don’t go. Or...leave to go do work.”

“It’s the weekend. You get to have me,” Jack pointed out.

“Still. I could try…”

“Oh honey. I can’t wait until you can,” Jack said, pulling Daniel to him and kissing his hair. “That’s going to be awesome.”

“I could help with um… that is… Could I help with your shirt?” 

Jack eyed Daniel thoughtfully. “Huh. Sure, sweetheart. Knock yourself out.”

Daniel started slowly unbuttoning Jack’s collared shirt. He felt his face flush a bit as Jack stared at him. He colored even more so when he realized Jack wasn’t wearing a t-shirt underneath.  
He sighed quietly as he brushed his fingers over Jack’s bare skin. He didn’t think he was ready for the sort of motivation that would really keep Jack focused on him. Or satisfied… Well, he could try something at least.

With that in mind, he undid the next button on Jack’s shirt. Then kissed at Jack’s chest once more of the fabric was out of his way. “Thank you.”

He moved on to the next button, doing the same thing.

Jack shifted, sinking back on the couch and moving Daniel so that he was straddling his lap. “Oh yeah. Good instincts,” he murmured. “I’m always right. Get the sleeves, babe.”

Daniel dealt with the buttons on Jack’s sleeves and Jack dealt with the rest of the buttons on his shirt. 

With the shirt gone, Daniel brushed his fingers over Jack’s bare skin. Jack wasn’t overly muscled the way so many bandits were. But he had more than enough definition. His skin was warm and there was a light dusting of hair over his chest. It trailed down and it was slightly thicker just below his navel. And Jack really was handsome, but Daniel suspected that wasn’t how he’d gotten that adjective added to his name.

“Like what you see, kitten?”

“Yes.” Daniel ducked his head, licking at Jack’s collarbone and thanking him again. He bit lightly at Jack’s skin then at his own lip when Jack groaned. It was… He wanted Jack to make more sounds like that. But… “Jack?”

Jack sighed. “Why do I already not like where this is going?”

“I don’t… know what to do next. And I don’t...”

Jack sighed again, letting his head hit the back of the couch. “Of course you don’t, you little fucking tease.” But his tone wasn’t even remotely hostile. In fact, even as he said it, his hands brushed over Daniel’s back. Jack’s fingers massaged lightly at Daniel’s skin when they came to rest against his neck. “That’s okay. Okay. And it’s good. You doing this with me? Deciding it all on your own? Is very, very good. Understand?”

“Yes,” Daniel said, slumping a little in obvious relief. 

“Great. So… Let’s get rid of this,” Jack said, tugging lightly on the hem of Daniel’s t-shirt. “Just this. Okay with you?”

“Yes. Please, Jack.”

“Hands up,” Jack said before pulling Daniel’s shirt off and out of the way. “There we go.” He leaned in, licking at Daniel’s bare shoulder. “You got a few freckles,” he murmured, nuzzling Daniel’s neck. “How’s this? You like this?”

Daniel let his hands wrap lightly around Jack’s neck. “I like it,” he admitted leaning in so he could kiss Jack properly and on the lips. “Are freckles good?”

“Hm. Well. They’re not bad. I like ‘em. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. But what do I do now?”

“Same thing you were doing. Just kiss me, lick me, bite me, and thank me some more.”

“That’s… enough for you?”

Jack chuckled, his breath ghosting lightly over Daniel’s neck and then the shell of his ear. “Uh, well, Daniel? Honey? It probably will be if you shut up and don’t ask me that again.”

Daniel huffed out a quiet laugh and went back to what he’d been doing.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a crazy time for me. I've been slow about posting because I haven't been in the proper head-space to write. I'm hoping to get back there soon. 
> 
> As always, thank you to everyone who continues reading and commenting!


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